Avatar: The Last Kryptonian
by MegaBob452
Summary: The Avatar isn't the only hope for the world.  Kal El of Krypton, raised in the Fire Nation, must choose to either lead his nation to victory, or end its tyranny forever.  Is the world ready for a Superman?
1. Disaster At Ba Sing Se

_A/N: This story came into my head from a simple question. What would happen if Superman existed in the world of Avatar? Since the Kents clearly do not exist in this world I'm going have Superman be raised by our favorite Cool Old Guy Iroh._

_Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender or Superman. If I did I'd be filthy rich._

_Now on with the show._

Chapter 1: Disaster at Ba Sing Se

"There it is my son, the great wall of Ba Sing Se."

The sun was low in the eastern sky as the fire nation army marched towards the massive wall, ready to begin the siege of the Earth Kingdom capital. Taking the city would be the General Iroh's greatest military victory and fulfill the vision of his youth. This was also Lu Ten's chance to prove himself in combat.

"Father, how long do you think the wall will hold against us?" Lu Ten asked.

"No more than three years. They don't have enough earthbenders inside to maintain the wall for that long." Iroh stated.

"Excellent. Admiral Jeong Jeong, give the signal to begin the siege." Lu Ten ordered.

Suddenly, a fireball fell from the sky behind the fire nation army and struck the wall. The crater left by the impact penetrated a third of the wall's width. It was as if Agni himself had struck the first blow against the city, for no firebender could do that in one strike.

Lu Ten looked up and saw the smoke left in the wake of the fireball, and turned to face the direction it came from.

"Father…"

Iroh turned to see what his son was looking at, and couldn't believe his eyes. Dozens if not hundreds of fireballs in the sky, all of them following the path of the first one. As if Sozin's Comet had arrived early and fragmented. Three of the fireballs struck the wall leaving craters as large as the first. Iroh could hear the soldiers cheering Agni's name, believing that the sun god himself wanted the Fire Nation to win.

But Iroh knew something was wrong. The sun was still in the eastern sky, and these fireballs were falling from the west. Then five fireballs struck the ground ahead of the army while four more fell behind the wall.

"Admiral, send the signal to scatter our forces NOW!" Iroh ordered.

Suddenly a fireball came down thirty feet behind the admiral, killing the soldiers unfortunate enough to be in its path. Debris from the impact scattered and injured everyone around it, even hitting Jeong Jeong in the eye. Several more fireballs followed killing more soldiers.

_That's going to leave a nasty mark_ Iroh thought as he rushed to the admiral's side. Iroh looked for a medic and saw more fireballs striking his army, killing hundreds instantly and injuring hundreds more. "Lu Ten get everyone to safety." He shouted, hoping that his son could hear him.

Lu Ten had already taken the initiative and was ordering the soldiers to break their tight formation as more fireballs fell among the troops. By spreading out each impact would claim fewer lives. Taking a quick glance at the wall Lu Ten saw dozens of craters in it, and witnessed one fireball punch a hole through a weakened section. _Wonderful_ he thought. _It's about to come down and we're in no condition to take advantage of it._

Iroh had just gotten Jeong Jeong to one of the field medics when he heard another impact right behind him. Looking up he witnessed nine more fireballs punch through the wall, shattering the entire section. The damage then spread across the entire length of the wall as the earthbenders maintaining it were overwhelmed. Iroh couldn't look away as the wall fell apart, leaving only fragments of it still standing.

_Now would be the perfect time to attack_ Iroh thought _if I still had an army to attack with._ Iroh looked back at his soldiers and saw that all of them had been injured by several dozen impacts. Even his own son was bleeding from his arms and legs. Lu Ten turned to signal his father that he was alright.

As a fireball struck the ground he was standing on.

"**LU TEN!"** Iroh screamed. Running to the crater made by the impact, Iroh saw only smoke coming out of it. There was no trace of his son left, nothing to bring back to the Fire Nation for a proper funeral. Iroh fell to his knees, not caring anymore about the chaos around him, or that the fireballs had stopped falling.

All that mattered to Iroh was that his only son was dead. As far as he was concerned the siege was over, before it had even begun.

_A/N: I have no idea if Jeong Jeong really was at Ba Sing Se or if he was Admiral at the time of Iroh's siege. I just didn't want to make an Original Character this early in the story and Jeong Jeong fit the position I wanted._

_I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. So review and inform me of how good or bad I'm doing.  
_


	2. The Boy in the Spacecraft

Chapter 2: The Boy in the Spacecraft

"Damage report" Iroh asked the recovering Admiral.

"Not good" Jeong Jeong said. "Half of our men are dead, another fifth are critically injured, and everyone else is in no condition to fight."

"Then we have no choice. Give the signal to retreat to Fire Nation territory."

Even though the wall had collapsed earlier that day, it would be foolish to attack when your own army is crippled. And with the General's own spirit broken by Lu Ten's death, attacking now would be suicide.

Over the course of the day the worst of the injured were loaded into the few remaining transports pulled by the kimono rhinos. By sunset what remained of Iroh's army had already begun to leave the crumbled wall behind them. Only the general remained behind, paying his final respects to Lu Ten's resting place.

_I failed you my son_ Iroh thought. Looking towards Ba Sing Se, Iroh could see a new wall rising from the ground on the horizon. _Even the Earth Kingdom is abandoning this place_ he thought as he gazed upon the earthbenders at work. Then in the light of the setting sun Iroh saw a glint of silver in a crater near the broken wall. Walking up the crater Iroh saw a strange object resting at the bottom.

_What could this be? _Iroh thought as he walked into the crater. The object was shaped like an elongated diamond with an egg shaped sphere in the center. As Iroh touched the object the sphere section light up and opened, revealing a small boy resting inside. He was wrapped in a red blanket with a gold S in a diamond symbol on it. He had to have been no older than seven, with dark hair, light skin, and rounded features. If Iroh didn't know better he'd think this was one of the Air Nomads, but they were extinct and never possessed objects like the one the boy was in.

"Who are you?" Iroh said out loud. In response Iroh heard a strange voice coming from the object saying…

_**Kal-El**_

At that moment the boy awoke revealing his blue eyes to Iroh, and started to cry.

"You're all right little one" Iroh spoke to the boy and picking him up. "You're safe with me. _Kal El_."


	3. Homecoming

Chapter 3: Homecoming

A week had passed since the tragedy of Ba Sing Se, and the remains of Iroh's army had finally reached Fire Nation territory where they could recover from their injuries. In that time Iroh had learned a great deal about the boy Kal El.

He spoke in a strange language. A casual listener would only hear nonsense, but Iroh could hear the patterns in Kal El's voice that marked it as a foreign tongue. But after a week of listening to everyone around him, Kal El had already picked up a few words in the common tongue. It was possible to talk with him now, if one used simple words.

Kal El was also a charitable boy. He would help bring food and water to the injured soldiers and help set up camp at night. His innocence and positive attitude boosted morale, even bringing a smile to Jeong Jeong's scarred face.

And finally, the boy was resilient. One day Kal El was carrying a stack of wood and walking near a barrel of blasting jelly when it exploded. Iroh witnessed the accident and saw Kal El get up as if nothing happened. His shirt was torn in several places but his skin had no marks at all. Kal El didn't even cry, as he apparently didn't feel any pain.

After reaching Fire Nation territory Iroh took Kal El onto a ship that would sail back to the Fire Nation capital. The journey took two weeks, and in that time Kal El learned enough of the common tongue to speak it as if he grew up in the Fire Nation. Not even an accent remained in his voice.

As the ship approached the capital, Iroh brought Kal El on deck.

"There it is Kal El, the Great Gates of Azulon." Iroh said as the gates opened to let the ship pass through. "Soon we will arrive at your new home."

As the ship reached the docks a royal palanquin was already prepared to carry the general to the palace. Exiting the ship Iroh and Kal El boarded the palanquin and were taken through the city with a royal procession. Within the hour they reached the palace and Kal El was eager to see more as he exited the palanquin.

Once inside the palace Iroh and Kal El were escorted to the throne room by Lady Ursa. She was curious about the boy she saw with her brother in law. But her questions would have to wait until after Iroh talked with his father Azulon.

Iroh knelt next to Kal El before the doors and said "Stay with Ursa now. I need to talk with the Fire Lord about our… _situation_ in private." Kal El nodded and stood next to Ursa while Iroh entered the throne room alone.

As Iroh walked towards the Fire Lord, Azulon simply asked "What Happened?"

Iroh bowed to the Fire Lord and explained everything that happened that day at Ba Sing Se. He described the fireballs that rained down on the wall and on his own army. How they destroyed the wall and slaughtered his men. How those who remained were in no condition to invade the city. And finally the death of Lu Ten, which destroyed what little morale Iroh's men had left.

"I see." Azulon spoke. "An unnatural disaster struck down both sides, and you were brave enough to return to me despite failure. I am sorry for your loss. Lu Ten was a good man and grandson."

"There is one other matter we must discuss." Iroh said. "After the disaster I found a young boy in the rubble, completely unharmed. I… wish to keep him and raise him as my own son."

"Are you sure? The law clearly states that only a blood relative can inherit the throne. An adopted child would disqualify your line from the succession."

"Yes. My line ended with Lu Ten and I am certain the boy was guided to me for a reason. If I have to give up the throne to keep him, then so be it."

"Very well Iroh. By tomorrow your brother Ozai will be made the Crown Prince. Now show me my new grandson." Azulon said with a smile.

"Yes my lord" Iroh spoke happily. He walked to the door and brought Kal El inside. "Kal El, this is Fire Lord Azulon, my father."

Kal El bowed to the Fire Lord. "It's an honor to finally meet you sir." He said. "Mr. Iroh's told me great stories about you."

"Indeed, it's a pleasure to see good manners in children these days. I hope you will be happy here, now that Iroh has asked to adopt you."

"Really? That's wonderful."

"Iroh, bring your son to his new family. He should get to know them."

"Of course father" Iroh said. He and Kal El bowed before Azulon and then walked out of the throne room together. They walked with Princess Ursa to the palace playground where Iroh's six year old niece and eight year old nephew were playing.

"Go say hello to them Kal El" Iroh spoke to him. He smiled as Kal El ran into the playground to meet his new family. Right when Azula threw a small fireball towards Zuko, and Kal El ran into its path.

With clothes burned but otherwise unharmed Kal El simply stood there between the siblings. "Hi I'm Kal El, what are your names?" He said.

"I'm Azula" she said. "Why aren't you burned?"

"That was supposed to burn?" Kal El asked. "I thought you were only playing a game."

"Well I was playing. Zuko was being no fun though." Azula joked.

"Hey, just because you're the prodigy doesn't mean you can throw fire at everything that moves." Zuko yelled back. "By the way I'm Zuko" he told Kal El. Then whispering in Kal El's ear he said "By the way thanks for stopping that fireball. She would have hit me with that one."

"No problem Zuko." Kal El said. "I think I'm going to enjoy it here."

_A/N: I know that the Avatar Wiki states that Zuko was ten during Iroh's siege. I'm taking a creative liberty here and assuming they meant Zuko was ten at the end of the 600 days, so at the beginning Zuko would be 8 give or take a few months. I did this to keep Kal El in between Zuko and Azula's age and keep Kal El as young as possible when Iroh found him._

_Anyway review, criticize, give tips. Whichever is appropriate._


	4. Accidents

Chapter 4: Accidents

The day after Iroh and Kal El arrived at the capital was eventful. Lu Ten's funeral was attended by the entire nobility and everyone mourned the loss of their prince. The funeral was followed by Kal El's official adoption as Iroh's son and that was followed by Fire Lord Azulon's official declaration of Ozai's status as Crown Prince.

Over the next year Kal El spent his days learning from private tutors. They taught him everything a Fire Nation prince was expected to know, despite the fact that Kal El would never inherit. He was a good student, quickly learning everything after a few repetitions. However when the time came to study firebending, Kal El couldn't do it. He couldn't even make sparks.

Other than that, Kal El was adjusting well to living in the Fire Nation. He quickly became friends with Zuko, often getting between him and Azula's pranks, which couldn't hurt him. The two boys would often feed the turtleducks together and could even pull a rare prank on Azula. Seeing the two together would bring a smile to Lady Ursa's face.

Azula on the other hand was curious about Kal El. She knew it wasn't normal for anyone to simply Not Burn. At least twice a month Azula would 'accidently' firebend at Kal El, only to watch has he dusted off his burned clothes and walk away unharmed. There had to be a secret to him, and Azula was determined to figure it out.

Her opportunity to learn came on the anniversary of Lu Ten's death. Kal El was relaxing in the sunlight in the playground when Azula brought her friends Ty Lee and Mai to play. She walked up to Kal El and said "Hey Kal, can you help me show a new move to the other girls?"

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do today" Kal El said.

"Good, go stand by the wall over there and put an apple on your head." Azula said.

Walking over to the other side of the playground Kal El and placed an apple on his head like Azula asked. _I wonder how much fire she will throw at me _this_ time _he thought.

"Ready girls" she asked as she prepared to firebend. Focusing her inner flame Azula released a large stream of fire at the apple on Kal El's head. Her aim was perfect, but the stream of fire was wide enough to hit Kal El's face as well.

"AZULA what's wrong with you!" Ty Lee screamed.

"You just killed your cousin." Mai said.

"I actually felt that one" Kal El said as the smoke cleared from around his head. His face was a little red but not burned, and his hair wasn't even singed. "You're getting better at this."

"Why aren't you dead?" Mai asked.

"Azula didn't tell you?" Kal El said. "I'm pretty much fireproof, though I have no idea why."

"That's a relief" Ty Lee said with a sigh.

"Good, ok now Azula it's my turn to show off." Kal El said. Picking up a fresh apple and a pebble from the ground Kal El walked over to Azula. "Go put this apple of your head and I'll knock it off with this pebble."

"Fine just don't miss." Azula said as she took the apple and stood next to the wall.

Kal El stood fifteen feet away and focused on the target. He threw the pebble at the apple, hitting it dead center.

The apple exploded on impact and the pebble flew into the wall behind Azula, and through five walls behind that and into someone's arm.

"**OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW"**

Kal El just stood there, shocked at the sound of that scream. "That was… just a pebble. It should have only knocked off the apple." Azula looked behind her and saw the hole in the wall, equally shocked at what Kal El did. Ty Lee was scared and slowly backed away from Kal EL. Even Mai's normally blank face showed alarm.

"WHO DID THAT?"

Kal El, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai all looked to the entrance and saw a tall man with large sideburns standing there, bleeding from his left arm.

"Lieutenant Zhao. It was an accident." Kal El confessed.

"YOU BROKE MY ARM!" Zhao yelled. With his good arm Zhao fired a massive stream of fire at Kal El, not caring that he would be executed for killing Iroh's son. Not wanting to test the limits of his fireproofing, Kal El ran to the side… and through a wall.

"What the…" Zhao said, surprised that he missed. Seeing the boy sized hole in the wall Zhao fired again, only for Kal El to run out of the fire's path, and plowed through three more walls in the process and into Lady Ursa's room.

"Hey Aunt Ursa, can you help calm down Mr. Zhao please?" Kal El asked.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Zhao yelled as he squeezed through the holes in the walls.

"Lieutenant, what do you think you're doing?" Ursa said.

"THAT KID BROKE MY ARM."

"Kal El, is this true?" Ursa asked.

"Not on purpose."

After waiting for Ursa to calm down Zhao, Kal El explained everything, starting with Azula showing off her firebending and ending with how he ran through the walls. Ursa could hardly believe that this was even possible, even after being shown the holes Kal El made in the walls. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale.

"Lieutenant, get to the infirmary while your arm can still be saved." Ursa ordered.

"Yes my Lady." Zhao grumbled before walking away.

"Kal El, we're going to need to explain this to your father and the Fire Lord. You're going to have to show them what you can do." Ursa said.

"Ok, but can we please make sure no one gets hurt this time?" Kal El replied.

"Of course."


	5. Demonstrations

Chapter 5: Demonstrations

"IT'S NOT FAIR" Azula screamed in her room. _It's bad enough that my firebending doesn't work on Kal, but now he's really strong AND incredibly fast_ she thought. She was royalty, supposed to be the best, and the adopted cousin was making her look like a commoner.

_I'll just have to work harder _she thought. _That last attempt had Kal's face slightly red from the heat. If I can just get my fire hot enough I can beat him._

Just then Azula heard a servant knock on her door. "What is it?" she asked.

"My lady, the Fire Lord has requested that the entire royal family come to the throne room for a 'demonstration.'"

_Wonderful, now Kal gets to show off to grandfather_ Azula thought. "I'll be there immediately." She said to the servant.

When Azula entered the throne room she saw Kal El standing in front of the Fire Lord sitting on the throne. Behind Kal El was Uncle Iroh, and to Iroh's left was Ozai and to Iroh's right were Ursa and Zuko. Azula took her place at her father's side and watched as Kal El explained what happened today.

"That is quite a tale Kal El" Azulon said quietly. "But we will need to see exactly what you are capable of." Azulon then stood up from his throne and walked to the side. "Lift my throne." He ordered.

Kal El walked up to the throne and bent down to grab the bottom. _This isn't going to work _Azula thought. _The throne is welded to the floor and is impossible to…_

The sound of tearing metal interrupted her thoughts as the old welds failed to hold against Kal El's strength. Then Kal El held the throne above his head and Azulon could see a wide smile on Kal El's face.

"Excellent, you may put it down now. I'll weld it back into place later." Azulon said. "Now let's look at the speed Zhao witnessed. Run around the room as fast as you are able."

Setting the throne down Kal El took a deep breath and started running. At first each lap around the large throne room took thirty seconds, then twenty, then five. Within minutes Kal El's appearance was blurred by his speed. When it appeared that Kal El had reached his maximum speed Azulon raised his hand. "Enough" he said and Kal El instantly stopped in front of the Fire Lord.

"Azula come forward." Azulon ordered. "I'm told that today's… events started with you attempting to burn Kal El's face."

"Yes" Azula whispered.

"Please show everyone what happens when you attempt that." Azulon ordered. "Kal El, let Azula hit you so we can see if you really are immune to firebending."

As Azula focused her inner fire Kal El removed his shirt, not wanting it to be damaged by Azula's fire. Then Kal El stood still in front of Azula, waiting for her to strike. Azula forced everything she had into her fireblast, hitting Kal El in the chest and she kept the fire going for five minutes before falling to her knees exhausted.

When the smoke cleared Kal El's chest was a deep red, as if sunburned. But within seconds his skin began fading back to its normal light shade. In less than a minute Kal El's skin had fully healed and looked like nothing had happened.

"Amazing, simply amazing" Azulon said. "Not even the Avatar would have been able to withstand that without severe burns. Ursa, take the children outside. I wish to speak with Iroh and Ozai in private."

"Yes my lord" Ursa said. After letting Kal El put his shirt back on Ursa guided the three children out the door. None of the children spoke as they waited for their fathers to come out.

"Iroh, did you know about what your son could do?" Azulon asked.

"I only knew about his resistance to fire." Iroh responded. "Kal El was always gentle when I was nearby. If there were any signs of his talents he kept them hidden from me."

"You do realize Kal El could be exactly what we need to end the war." Azulon said. "If his abilities increase with age Kal El could bring down Ba Sing Se singlehandedly. Him combined with Sozin's Comet could permanently crush the Earth Kingdom."

"I understand father. Do you want me to begin training the boy?" Iroh asked

"No." Azulon said. "Ozai will do it."

"Yes father" Ozai said. "If it is your wish I will mold the boy into the perfect warrior."

"It is" Azulon said. "I will let you judge what will be required for the task. Now if you will both excuse me, I have a throne to weld back into the floor."


	6. A New Firelord

_A/N: This is merely a transitional chapter. I didn't want to make significant changes other than what's already been done at this point. The point is to bring the story ahead a few years to where the good stuff happens._

Chapter 6: A New Firelord

After the revelation of Kal El's abilities, his education shifted to combat training. Ozai delegated most of the training exercises to various military commanders, who would teach Kal El different fighting forms. These lessons would hone Kal El's skill with his strength and reflexes.

Every three months Ozai would have Kal El spar against Azula and Zuko. While the siblings didn't like each other the two working together was the only way to give Kal El a challenge. Over the next two years the siblings never won once. Azula was barely able to keep up and Zuko kept falling behind with each fight.

One evening Zuko was sitting next to the turtleduck pond. At eleven years old Zuko should have been learning firebending from a master, but all the good teachers had been given to Azula.

"What's wrong Zuko?" Kal El asked as he sat down next to him.

"I'm never going to catch up" Zuko replied. "Azula was always better than me, and you're miles ahead of her."

"Well maybe you don't have to catch up?" Kal El said. "Maybe you could try mastering sword fighting instead of firebending. I've seen you practice with those Dao swords. Sure it won't do much against me but it could give you the edge on Azula."

"Thanks Kal, I needed that" Zuko said.

That night, Fire Lord Azulon passed away in his sleep.

No one could fathom why. Azulon had appeared to be perfectly fine the previous day. Ozai claimed that his father had been hiding symptoms of failing health over the past month. At noon the following day Azulon was cremated and Ozai was crowned Fire Lord.

After the coronation Fire Lorn Ozai increased the intensity of Kal El's training. He would be fighting over a dozen firebenders simultaneously and win in under five minutes. Between fights Kal El would be taught military strategy by whichever general happened to be stationed at the capital at the time.

Kal El hated every minute of it. He didn't want to fight in the war. The Fire Nation may be the best in the world, but what right did they have to force their way on everyone else. He certainly didn't like being treated like a weapon by the generals.

Two more years passed by, and Kal El was getting sick of living under Ozai's rule. Now at twelve years old, Ozai decided Kal El was old enough to attend the war meetings. Surprisingly Zuko was jealous that Kal El got to attend and he didn't.

"Zuko I don't even want to be at these stupid meetings." Kal El said.

"We're part of the royal family; it's our duty to take part in the war effort. Though I wish father would let me attend like he demands you to." Zuko said.

"If you really want it, I'll ask my father to convince your father to let you in, ok?" Kal El asked.

All Kal El had to do was ask nicely to convince the old general to get Zuko into the war meeting. At noon that day in the war room Kal El sat at Ozai's right hand side while Zuko sat at Ozai's left. For the most part nothing of significance was discussed, until the plans for a key battle came up.

"We can win this battle with ease if use the 41st division to lure the Earth Kingdom army out and then send in the 24th division to flank them." One of the generals said.

Kal El was about to voice his objections about using rookies, when Zuko beat him to it.

"You can't be serious. Those are inexperienced soldiers. They'll be walking into a slaughter." Zuko said.

"Zuko, you speak out of turn in _my_ war room." Ozai said. "You will show respect or you will fight for it."

Kal El gulped, knowing what was about to happen.

_Agni Kai_


	7. BURN

Chapter 7: BURN

After dishonoring Ozai's war meeting the Fire Lord declared that Zuko would fight for his honor in an Agni Kai. The battle would be held in the palace arena two hours after the war meeting. Every last noble in the city would be attending.

Kal El had the 'honor' of being in the front row of the audience, standing next to Iroh, Azula, and the newly made Captain Zhao. The captain never came within arm's reach of the twelve year old boy, and for good reason. His left arm _still_ wasn't as strong as it was before Kal El broke it years ago. Even being in the same room as the boy was dangerous to Zhao, at least in his opinion.

Zuko was kneeling in the ring facing his side of the arena, waiting for his opponent to arrive. _I may not be as good as Azula and certainly no match for Kal, but I can handle that general well enough_ Zuko thought. When he heard the opponent arrive Zuko stood up and turned to face him.

"Father…" was all Zuko could say.

As the Fire Lord walked towards Zuko, his sons fighting stance fell apart. "Please father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" Zuko cried, desperate for this to stop.

"You will fight for your honor." Ozai stated, preparing to attack.

Falling to his knees Zuko cried "I meant you no disrespect! I am your loyal son!"

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Ozai stated as he light a fire in his hand.

"I won't fight you." Zuko said.

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Ozai said. Then he blasted Zuko's face with fire.

"**ZUKO"**

Suddenly a stream of fire shot from the front row of the audience and into the ring, aimed directly at the Fire Lord. In order to defend himself Ozai stopped the attack on his son and created his stream of fire to counter the new threat. The two streams of fire met and the heat melted the floor where they intersected.

Everyone in the arena turned to the source of the new fire. They all followed its path, turning towards Kal El. No one could speak when their sights fell on him.

For the fire was coming from his** eyes**.

_What in Agni's name is he?_ Zhao thought.

_What's happening to you my son?_ Iroh thought.

_NO NO NO Azula_ thought. _Now HE is a firebender as well, AND he can burn anything just by LOOKING at it._

After keeping his fire going for five minutes, Kal El collapsed from exhaustion. Ozai then saw that the interloper was his nephew. _I should be angry about this_ he thought. After all he hated being interrupted. _But the possibilities of this development are too great to ignore._

With the crowd watching him, Ozai declared that Zuko was now banished until he could capture the Avatar. Then he walked out of the arena and headed to his private study. He needed to take Kal El's sudden firebending into account in his plans.

The next morning Kal El awoke in the palace infirmary. In the next bed was Zuko with a bandage over his eye, covering a fifth of his face.

"Kal, you're awake" Lade Ursa said. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember watching Zuko begging for mercy. And when I saw the Fire Lord about to strike I felt… hot. My eyes felt like they were burning, and then… fire." Kal said. "How's Zuko?"

"Could have been much worse" Ursa said. "You stopped your uncle in the middle of his attack, but I'm afraid Zuko will be permanently scarred."

"Oh, where's my father?" Kal El asked.

"Right here son" Iroh said as he walked through the door. "Pack your things Kal El. We're leaving as soon as Zuko is fit to travel."

"Why? Where's Zuko going?" Kal El asked.

"Your uncle banished Zuko from the Fire Nation after you collapsed." Iroh explained. "We are going with him to keep him safe."

"Ok father, I'll go pack right now" Kal El said, getting up and walking out the door.

After reaching his room it only took Kal El minutes to pack. He wanted to get back to Zuko's side as soon as possible so he used his speed to pack everything in a blur. Finished Kal El turned towards the door and saw Azula standing in it.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Father and I are going with Zuko to find the Avater." He explained.

"Do you really think the Fire Lord will let his secret weapon just walk out the door?" she said. "Especially now that he knows you can firebend? No you're not going anywhere unless father says so."

"And how do you suppose he plans to stop me?"

"He'll find something to keep you here, I'm certain of that."

"I don't think so." Kal El said before blurring away.

_A/N: I'm using the Smallville interpretation of Superman's heat vision here, only more 'firery' than portrayed there. That fits better here than most interpretations that use eye lasers._


	8. Blackmail

Chapter 8: Blackmail

Over the next few days Zuko finally woke up in the infirmary. Kal El saw the doctors changing Zuko's bandage and got his first good look at the burn. It was the size of a large coin, reaching up to Zuko's eyebrow and down to his cheekbones. Fortunately the burn stopped an inch before Zuko's ear. At least Zuko's hearing wouldn't be damaged.

However with Zuko's recovery his banishment was now being enforced. Still too weak to stand Zuko would have to be carried to Iroh's ship. Kal El had volunteered to carry Zuko and super-speed him to the ship in minutes, but a servant had arrived with a summons for Kal El. The Fire Lord wanted to speak with him.

Entering the throne room, Kal El walked up to the wall of fire in front of the Fire Lord. After giving the customary bow, Kal El bluntly asked "What do you want?"

"I've heard that you plan to leave the Fire Nation with your father and cousin. Surely you know that I can't allow that." Ozai stated.

"And you think you can stop me?" Kal El said. Just to prove the point Kal El walked through the wall of fire, emerging on the other side with burned clothes but otherwise unharmed. "You can't hurt me, you can't stop me, and you can't keep me here."

"On the contrary Kal El, while I can't hurt _you_ I can harm the people you care about. Leave and they will suffer." Ozai threatened.

"Father and Zuko will be with me when I go. I am more than powerful enough to protect them from you." Kal El replied.

"But what about your aunt Ursa, can you protect her while you're abroad?"

"Then I'll take her with us."

"Ursa is not going anywhere. Should she leave I will find her and make her suffer for your defiance.

"You would go that low?"

"You saw what I was willing to do to my own son. Is that really so hard to believe?"

With those words Ozai saw Kal El's eyes glow red, but only for a moment before they returned to normal. "Very well" Kal El said. "But if ANY harm comes to her while I'm here I will make _you_ suffer for it." Then Kal El blurred away extinguishing the wall of fire in his wake.

After putting on fresh clothes Kal El returned to the infirmary where Zuko was still lying in bed. Only Iroh, Ursa, and a doctor were still present. Zuko was conscious, but weary. "Father, aunt Ursa, can I please talk to Zuko alone?" Kal El asked.

Ursa nodded. "Zuko we'll be right outside if you need us." She said before walking out the door with Iroh and the doctor.

"What is it Kal?" Zuko said weakly.

"Zuko I'm so sorry." Kal El said. "I can't go with you and father. The Fire Lord threatened to hurt your mother if I leave. I have to stay and keep her safe."

"I understand" Zuko said. "You've been like a brother to me Kal, I know you won't let anything happen to her. Just keep an extra eye on Azula for me. Who knows what she'll try with me and uncle out of the way."

That evening Zuko and Iroh boarded the small ship and left the capital. Kal El could only watch as the ship sailed away on a fool's errand. As a final sendoff Kal El focused on his hatred of Ozai and felt his eyes glow red again, releasing a stream of fire into the sky for the entire city to see.

Walking back to his room Kal El spotted Azula standing against the wall outside it. "Still here Kal" she said. "I wonder what father did to…"

Azula was silenced by Kal El grabbing her throat, lifting her up and slamming her against the wall. "I'm in a bad mood, UNDERSTAND?" he yelled.

"Uh-huh" Azula squeaked through Kal El's grip. Satisfied Kal El let her go and walked to his room and slammed the door shut hard enough to crack the walls around the door. Kal El then lied down on his bed and cried for the first time since Iroh found him all those years ago.


	9. The Mission

Chapter 9: The Mission

Nearly three years have passed since Zuko's banishment, and the fifteen year old Kal El was miserable in the Fire Nation palace. From dawn till dusk everyday Kal El was being trained in mastering his unique form of firebending. Azula had started calling it firevision one day and the name stuck. After a year of training Kal El no longer needed hatred and rage to use it and could activate his firevision whenever he wanted to.

While Kal El could now use his firevision at will it was still not perfect. Once the fire left his eyes Kal El had no control over where the fire went. Sure he could control how much came out and how wide the fire would be but he couldn't change its direction like regular firebenders can do. Despite the years of training his fire still wouldn't move away from its initial path.

The only comfort Kal El still has is the time spent with his aunt Ursa. The Fire Lord had kept his word and not harmed her in any way since his threat was made. Kal El suspected that was less because of integrity and more because of fearing his wrath. Over the years Ursa became a mother figure for Kal El, and he enjoyed every moment he could find with her.

Azula had kept her distance from Kal El since Zuko's banishment. She spent every available moment training her firebending, foolishly trying to catch up to Kal El's level of power. Only a few short months ago Azula had created blue fire, and Kal El guessed that in another month or two Azula would _only_ make blue fire.

Kal El missed his father and cousin. Somehow Iroh had managed to get letters from Zuko to Kal El, despite Ozai blocking the normal channels of communication. Most of these letters were stories of Zuko's search, while others described Zuko's progress in mastering his sword fighting. However the most recent letter, received two weeks after the winter solstice, was different.

Zuko had _found _the Avatar.

For the first time in three years, Kal El was truly happy. Zuko and father were finally coming home. Sure the Avatar was difficult for Zuko to capture, but it was only a matter of time before the Fire Lord unleashed his secret weapon to bring in the Avatar.

As if on cue a servant knocked on Kal El's door with a summons from the Fire Lord. Kal El slowly walked to the throne room, enjoying making the Fire Lord wait. Once inside the throne room Kal El noticed that the Fire Lord hadn't bothered to raise the fire wall he normally used. There was no point in it when your only guest could walk through fire unharmed.

"Kal El" the Fire Lord said. "I have a task for you to achieve. The Avatar has been discovered and Admiral Zhao has failed to capture him. You will relieve him of that duty and 'neutralize' the Avatar. Use whatever means you deem necessary, though I suspect only your unique talents will be required for this task."

"Yes my lord" Kal El said. "If you wish I will leave immediately for the Earth Kingdom."


	10. Reunion

Chapter 10: Reunion

After being ordered to neutralize the Avatar by the Fire Lord, Kal El immediately left the palace. He had decided to wear simple red clothes on the trip. He wore customized red shoes that wouldn't wear out at the speeds he could move at.

Once outside the capital Kal El ran down the shoreline, taking in the view of the ocean. _I'm finally outside that gilded cage_ he thought. Then Kal El ran at his maximum speed, his momentum allowing him to run on top of the water. In seconds Kal El was already moving far faster than any Fire Nation ship could move.

Running directly east Kal El passed the Great Gates of Azulon within minutes, drenching a passing ship with water kicked up in Kal El's wake. In an hour he had reached Earth Kingdom shores. Back on dry land Kal El smiled. It would have taken several days for even the fastest Fire Nation ship to make the same trip. Kal El then blurred away along the shore, seeking a specific destination.

**0000000000**

"So much for bounty hunters as the solution." Zuko said.

Zuko and Iroh had just returned to the ship after yet another failed attempt at capturing the Avatar. This time they had hired the bounty hunter June with her tracking shirshu. While the beast did track down the Avatar, his companions had blinded it with the perfumes made nearby causing the beast to attack everyone near it. Zuko was still feeling a little groggy from the shirshu's paralyzing toxin.

"Maybe so Prince Zuko" Iroh said. "I'm certain something will come up"

"And that something has arrived" Said a familiar voice.

Zuko and Iroh turned towards the sound, and saw none other than Kal El sitting on the ship's railing. "Kal El" Zuko and Iroh spoke at the same time. Iroh then ran up to Kal El and hugged him, having dearly missed his son over the last three years. Kal El returned the gesture, but being careful to not break the old man's back.

"So what've I missed?" Kal El asked.

Inside the cabin Iroh and Zuko told their story to Kal El. How they had spotted the Avatar's awakening at the South Pole, Zuko's Agni Kai with Zhao, and the constant pursuit of the Avatar. In return Kal El told Zuko about his firebending training, political intrigues at the palace, and Azula's blue fire.

"Figures Azula would actually make blue fire. Anything to give her a slim chance at beating you" Zuko said.

"Yea she hasn't changed a bit since you left. It's only a matter of time before she starts making lightning. Now THAT is a scary thought" Kal El said.

"My brother is probably teacher her lightning as we speak son" Iroh said. "What with you finally running away from the palace."

"I didn't run away." Kal El said. "The Fire Lord ordered me to 'neutralize' the Avatar." Then Kal El smiled "But he didn't say how I had to do it."

Realizing what Kal El meant, Zuko smiled as well. "So what's your plan?" he asked.

"Simple. You flush him out, I ambush and bring him down, then we both sail home with the prize." Kal El explained.

"Then let's get started" Zuko said. _With Kal here there's no way the Avatar can get away this time_.


	11. Ambush

_A/N: Since this chapter is where Team Avatar makes its first appearance in this story, I decided to write from their perspective. Enjoy._

Chapter 11: Ambush

"It's Zuko again" Katara shouted.

"What does it take to make that guy quit." Sokka replied.

"Appa Yip Yip" Aang said to his sky bison. The beast took to the air with its three passengers in the saddle. Within minutes Appa was flying faster than the ship could sail down the river.

"He isn't chucking fire at us. Why isn't he chucking fire at us?" Sokka asked.

"Maybe he just wants to talk?" Aang suggested.

"I don't think so" Sokka said. "Every time Zuko shows up something bad happens."

"LOOK OUT!" Katara said.

In the air ahead of Appa was a boy in red clothing that had somehow jumped higher than Appa was flying. Coming down the boy put his hands together and slammed them into Appa's head. The beast was out cold from the strike and fell to the ground next to the river. Appa landed on his side sending his passengers tumbling out of the saddle while the boy landed on his feet nearby.

"Sorry about the landing Avatar, but I can't let you leave on the bison" the boy said.

"Who are you?" Aang asked.

"A friend of Prince Zuko, and your coming with me whether you like or not." He said before moving faster than Aang could see. Before Aang could blink the boy had already grabbed Aang and thrown him thirty feet away and into a tree.

"Aang!" Katara cried out before bending water from the river. Forming a water whip she attacked the boy, but the water only splashed him. He simply turned to face her with an annoyed expression. Drawing more water Katara formed ice daggers and threw them at him, only to shatter on contact.

"Think fast" Sokka said before throwing his boomerang at the boy. Instead of dodging it like Sokka expected the boy caught the boomerang in midair. Tossing the boomerang to the side the boy walked over the nearest tree and pulled it out of the ground. Then he threw the tree towards Sokka and Katara and they jumped to the side to avoid getting hit.

Pressing his advantage the boy ran up to Sokka, picking him up and throwing him into Katara, knocking out both of them. "I'm forgetting something aren't I?" he wondered out loud. Suddenly the boy was hit by an impossibly strong wind, pushing him back a few inches. Turning towards the wind the boy saw that Aang had recovered and his tattoos and eyes were glowing bright blue.

"**You will leave us alone!"** Aang shouted with a thousand voices. Then he bended all of the water in the river and wrapped it around the boy, lifting him up and carrying him into the river. Then Aang froze the water, trapping the boy inside.

Suddenly the frozen river shattered and the boy jumped out. Aang unfroze the water to strike the boy again, but he turned around and released fire from his eyes. The water evaporated instantly, leaving Aang with only air to bend. Then the boy was suddenly behind Aang and slammed his fist into Aang's back, sending him flying to the other side of the dry river. The boy jumped after Aang and slammed him into the ground. The glow in Aang's eyes and tattoos fading as he lost consciousness.

Aang awoke to find himself wrapped in chains and unable to move. Inside a cell, Aang looked forward and saw his captors. Easily recognizing two of them as Zuko and Iroh, Aang realized that he was on their ship. The third person was the boy that had attacked him earlier.

"About time you came to Avatar" Zuko said. "I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive."

"So you finally caught me" Aang said. "What happens now?"

"Now we go back to the Fire Nation" Zuko stated. "I get my honor back and you spend the rest of your life in a cell. It would be more merciful to kill you, but then you would reincarnate and we would have to chase you down all over again."

"And what does your friend get out of this?" Aang asked. "He's the one who beat me, not you."

"That doesn't matter Avatar!" Zuko yelled. "You're on MY ship, you're MY prisoner, and HE is helping me get MY honor back!" Calming down Zuko politely said "Now if you'll excuse me I have a homecoming to prepare for." With that statement Zuko walked out the door and was followed by Iroh, leaving only the strange boy behind.

"What do you get from helping Zuko?" Aang asked him.

"He's family, I have the power to help him and so I do" he stated before walking out the door, leaving Aang alone with his thoughts.

_I've failed_ he thought. _The Fire Nation won._

_A/N: You may be wondering why I let Kal El beat Aang so easily. Well one thing Aang lacks, even in the Avatar State, is Invulnerability. One hit to the right place and Aang goes down, like Azula proved in season 2. With no idea what he was fighting, Aang didn't stand a chance.  
_


	12. Second Thoughts

Chapter 12: Second Thoughts

"Why is this ship moving so slowly?" Zuko asked Lieutenant Jee.

"It's that beast we have strapped down on the deck sir." Jee explained. "With it on board we're too heavy to move at maximum speed. If we got rid of it we could easily travel twice as fast as we are now."

"NO! If we let it loose it will just come back with the Avatar's allies and free him. And we can't kill it because Uncle wants it studied back at the capital." Zuko said. _Plus the beast proves I have the real Avatar and not an impostor _he thought. "Just dump what dead weight we can afford to lose and do whatever you can to increase our speed" he ordered the lieutenant.

Zuko then turned towards the front of the ship and looked at the Avatar's bison. The beast was still out cold from Kal El's attack the previous day. After Kal El carried it onto the ship Zuko had the beast strapped down with every available chain on the ship. Even if the beast did wake up it wasn't going to fly away.

Aside from the ship's speed problem, this was a good day for Zuko. The Avatar was in the brig and unable to bend. His companions were also captured and kept separated from the Avatar. The sky bison was neutralized for the moment. The only thing unaccounted for was the Avatar's pet lemur, which had mysteriously vanished when Kal El ambushed the Avatar.

Kal El was sitting in Iroh's room, thinking about the previous day. _That was way too easy, even the Avatar State was barely a challenge._ Throughout his life he had been taught that the Avatar was the ultimate threat to the Fire Nation, determined to tear it apart and destroy all that it had accomplished. The Avatar state was supposed to be a force of nature itself, and he had swatted it aside like a fly. _Something isn't right here_ he thought before getting up and walking out of the room.

Wanting some answers Kal El walked to the brig. The guards let him pass without question, knowing what could happen if they objected. Entering the Avatar's cell, Kal El woke him up.

"Didn't Zuko already interrogate me today?" Aang joked.

"That's not why I'm here" Kal El said. "Why do you fight the Fire Nation?" he asked.

"Well you're trying to take over the world" he answered. "If that happens the balance of the world will be broken for good."

"The balance of the world, what would it take to restore it?" Kal El asked.

"I'm told I have to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, before Sozin's Comet arrives" he said. "Beyond that, I have no idea."

"If you could succeed by only defeating the Fire Lord, would you stop there?" Kal El asked.

"If that brings peace, yes I would stop there." Aang said.

With that, Kal El left Aang's cell and returned to Iroh's room. Inside he found Iroh tinkering with one of his instruments. "Father, can I talk with you for a moment?" he asked.

"Sure son, you can always talk with me" he replied.

"If the Avatar had succeeded in defeating the Fire Lord, what would have happened?" he asked.

"Well if my brother did fall the crown would pass to the person that's next in line, which is currently Azula. She would probably pick up where her father left off and continue the war" he speculated.

"And if she were defeated as well?" Kal El asked.

"Then there would be no available heirs, thanks to Zuko's banishment and myself being removed from the succession. Some of the nobles would ignore that and try to place either myself or Zuko on the throne. Others would try to take the throne for themselves. Such a conflict would throw the Fire Nation into a civil war which could devastate the entire world" Iroh explained.

"Is there a way out of that situation, a way to prevent a civil war? Kal El asked.

"There is one possible solution, but I don't like it" Iroh said. "You would have to become Fire Lord my son."

"Me? But I'm not even noble born, as your adopted son I have no claim to the throne." Kal El said.

"That is not the point Kal El" Iroh said. "You have the power to simply _take_ the throne and no one would be able to stop you. If anyone would try to dispute your claim you could easily defeat them in an Agni Kai. If any noble were to raise an army and revolt you could stop them singlehandedly. But I would keep this option as a last resort."

"I'll keep that in mind" Kal El said. "Good night father."


	13. Betrayal

Chapter 13: Betrayal

In the middle of the night Aang awoke to the sound of bending metal. Looking forward Aang saw his unnamed captor in front of his cell, his hands gripping the bent bars. With the bars widened he stepped through and grabbed the chains that bound Aang. Lifting the airbender up the stranger looked him in the eyes. "I'm going to let you go, but until you're off this ship you will do what I say, understand?" he asked.

"Ok" Aang said. "But could you please tell me your name?

"I'm Kal El" he said before twisting the chains binding Aang, snapping them instantly. Kal El then released Aang letting the chains fall to the floor. Aang took a brief moment to stretch his arms and legs before exiting the cell behind Kal El. Aang saw the guards on the floor, out cold. "You're friends are being held on the other side on the ship and your bison is tied to the deck above us."

"What about Momo?" Aang asked.

"The Lemur? We never caught it" Kal El said. "Let's move before Zuko wakes up."

Most of the ship's crew was asleep, leaving only a skeleton crew keeping the ship moving. Kal El and Aang easily made it to the other cells without interference. However there were three guards watching over Sokka and Katara as they slept. Before Aang could ask what the plan was Kal El had already blurred into the room and knocked out the guards.

"How do you move so fast?" Aang asked. While he had used airbending before to run faster than normal it was nowhere near the speed he just witnessed Kal El move.

"I have many talents" Kal El said cryptically. Then he grabbed the bars of the cell and bent them open, the sound waking up the prisoners. Before they could say anything Kal El walked in and broke the chains binding the prisoners.

"Not to be picky but why are you helping us escape?" Sokka asked. "You're the guy that put us in here."

"Self-Interest" Kal El said. "I want the Fire Lord overthrown and Aang is the best option to do that."

"But you beat me easily" Aang said. "Doesn't that make you the best person to beat the Fire Lord?"

"If I do it the people will think I'm just taking power for myself" Kal El explained. "That will throw the Fire Nation into civil war. If the Avatar beats the Fire Lord the civil war won't happen."

"That's good to know but can we please get out of here before someone spots us?" Katara asked.

"Follow me" Kal El said. First he took them to the ship's storage locker to retrieve Sokka's boomerang and Aang's glider. Then Kal El led them on deck where they spotted several crew members at work.

"We can take these guys" Sokka said. Then Kal El blurred across the deck knocking them all out at once. "I mean HE can take these guys, that's what I meant to say."

Walking up to Appa Aang patted the bison's head. "Wake up buddy, it's time to go" he said. The bison woke up but couldn't move against the chains. Kal El then walked up to each chain and snapped every one of them, freeing Appa. Then he picked up Appa's saddle next to him and tossed it onto the bison's back, letting Aang secure it.

"Thank you for letting us go" Katara said.

"Just go already before Zuko finds out you're gone." Kal El said.

"You could come with us to the North Pole" Aang said. "We could really use you on our side."

"I would but someone else needs my help more than you do right now." Kal El said. "I'll catch up when I can, just go."

"Appa Yip Yip" Aang said. The sky bison took to the air slowly, still weary from Kal El's attack two days ago. Once they were a safe distance away Kal El jumped off the ship and ran on the water heading west.

The following morning was hell for Zuko. _I had him_ he thought. _I had him in chains and he STILL escaped._ Not only were the Avatar and his friends gone, Kal El was missing as well. It was obvious Kal El let the Avatar escape, only he could have bent the bars and broken the chains holding him.

"How could he do this?" Zuko yelled. "He knows how much I need the Avatar."

"Prince Zuko, you should look at this" Iroh said, handing him a note. It read:

_Dear Zuko_

_By the time you read this I will have already released the Avatar and be on my way back to the Fire Nation. I can't follow through with your father's orders. I'm sorry but he is a monster and needs to be brought down. The Avatar must do it or the Fire Nation will fall into civil war. Since I am directly disobeying your father he will follow through on the threat he made to me years ago. I will be taking your mother away from the Fire Nation and bring to a place your father can't reach her._

_With sincerest apologies,_

_Kal El_


	14. Defection

Chapter 14: Defection

It was a normal day at the palace for Fire Lady Ursa. Deal with nobles petitioning an audience with her husband, oversee military briefings, turn away suitors wanting Azula, stop Azula from burning other suitors, inspect royal financing, the standard routine. She was completely unaware of the potential danger she would be in if her nephew disobeyed her husband.

After escorting the latest suitor to the infirmary with second degree burns, Ursa decided to break routine and go to the royal spa instead of disciplining her daughter. Her punishments never worked anyway and Ursa just wasn't in the mood to fight a lost cause. After an hour of special treatment Ursa left to attend to the next war meeting.

However she never arrived at it. While walking though a hallway she saw a red blur approach and then was being carried at insane speed. The scenery around her was being blurred and only the changes in color were able to tell Ursa that she was being taken away from the capital. Stopping as fast as it started Ursa was put back on the ground, where she immediately threw up. Looking forward she saw that she had been taken to the coastline.

"I'm sorry for the rough trip, but I had to get you out of there before anyone saw me." A familiar voice said. Looking up Ursa saw that it was her nephew Kal El.

"What's going on Kal El?" Ursa asked.

"The Fire Lord threatened to hurt you if I didn't obey him." Kal El explained. "I'm taking away his only bargaining chip."

"Why would he need to threaten you?"

"Because I hate him" Kal El said. "He knows that and since he can't hurt me he threatened to hurt you instead. I can't accept that anymore so I'm taking you to a place he can't reach."

"No place is outside his reach Kal El, not with Sozin's Comet arriving in a few months" Ursa said.

"I know that aunt Ursa" Kal El said. "But until then the Northern Water Tribe should be able to hold him off."

"No they won't" Ursa said. "Admiral Zhao isn't waiting for the comet. He's launching an invasion of the Water Tribe in two weeks."

"He can't win without the comet. Not with us helping the Water Tribe." With that statement Kal El pointed to a small boat he had on the shore. "Get in, please" he asked.

Ursa got in the boat and Kal El got in the water to push it. Kal El had to travel at half his maximum speed to keep the boat steady in the water. While still slower than Kal El would have liked they were still outrunning any Fire Nation ship that spotted them.

After a few hours the air began to cool and Ursa could see icebergs on the horizon. Directly ahead she could see the wall of ice that defined the border of Water Tribe's frozen city. Several wooden ships were patrolling the water, and already moving to investigate the wake Kal El made with his passage. When they came near Kal El stopped the boat and climbed up into it.

The Water Tribe warriors had no idea what to make of this. The little boat had a huge wake but had no visible means of propulsion. Both of its passengers were wearing Fire Nation colors, and the young man was soaked but didn't appear to be bothered by the cold. Before any of them could say anything the young man held his hands in the air, and began to speak.

"I am Kal El and this is Fire Lady Ursa. We are defecting from the Fire Nation and seek sanctuary with your tribe. In exchange we are offering valuable information about the Fire Nation fleet and the invasion that will arrive at your city in two weeks. With that information and the Avatar's arrival you will prevail against the Fire Nation."

The leader of the warriors quickly thought about the boy's words. There was a high chance this was a deception, but if the boy was telling the truth the threat to the tribe was too great to ignore. Turning to his men he said "Bring them aboard. Chief Arnook will need to see them."


	15. The Northern Water Tribe

Chapter 15: The Northern Water Tribe

The Water Tribe warriors quickly brought Kal El and Ursa into their city. Over a dozen warriors stood guard over them, watching for any signs of treachery. Many citizens of the city watched the boat pass, wondering why anyone from the Fire Nation would be allowed inside. Meanwhile Ursa and Kal El took in the view of the city.

Having lived all of her life in the Fire Nation Ursa had rarely seen ice, let alone an entire city made of it. _No wonder the Fire Nation could never take this place_ she thought. _Everything here is made of their element._

Kal El was strangely comfortable here. As if he had been to a similar place before but couldn't remember when. Taking in the sight Kal El appreciated the ingenuity of the Water Tribe. _They turned a block of ice into a magnificent city _he thought. _Who knows what they could they could accomplish if they put their minds to it._

Within the hour they had been taken to the palace where several dozen more warriors escorted them inside. In the main hall was a long table with Chief Arnook sat at the head of it. As Kal El and Ursa approached the Chief they gave respectful bows before allowing the Chief to speak.

"I never thought I would see the day that Fire Nation royalty would turn against their nation, much less the Fire Lady herself. I must admit it sounds like an elaborate deception. How do we know your words are sincere?"

"Chief, you may or may not be aware that I possess great power. The Fire Lord sought to control me by threatening Fire Lady Ursa, whom I care for as if she were my mother. I have openly defied him by refusing to capture the Avatar for him and I know he would carry through on his threat. Until Sozin's Comet arrives your tribe is the safest place in the world."

"I was not aware of this 'great power' you spoke of. Perhaps a demonstration would set my mind at ease?"

With that Kal El blurred out of the palace, startling all of the guards. A minute later Kal El returned in another blur, carrying a large polar leopard. Tossing it to the ground in front of him the Water Tribe warriors could see that it was dead, its neck broken. "That's just a sample of what I can do" he said.

"I see" Arnook said. "I've heard the rumors of the Fire Nation 'super-soldier' that was about to be unleashed on the Earth Kingdom. I had hoped that the rumors were merely propaganda but the real thing stands before me."

"So will you give us sanctuary here?" Kal El asked.

"There is one other question I must ask. You mentioned an invasion to my warriors, one due to arrive here in two weeks "Arnook said. "If that's the case why come here when you would likely need to relocate again so soon?"

"Because with our help your tribe will not fall" Kal El. "We know the weaknesses of their ships, the habits of their commanders, the basic plan of attack, et cetera. The Fire Lady is also a master tactician who can coordinate your efforts to provide minimal losses to your tribe and she is a skilled firebender and thus can help defend your city. I will also defend your tribe which will tip the scales in your favor."

"Very well Kal El, I will give you sanctuary here in the Northern Water Tribe" Arnook said. Then he stood up and proclaimed "Let it be known that if any harm befalls these guests within our tribe the person's responsible will exiled from the tribe. Now if there is no other business to attend to let's discuss strategy."

Then a courier entered the room. "Chief Arnook, the Avatar has arrived in our city" he said.

"About time he got here" Kal El said.

That night Chief Arnook arranged a feast to celebrate the Avatar's arrival. It also happened to be his daughter's sixteenth birthday, so he decided to announce that at the feast as well. Once the feast was over Arnook planned to discuss Kal El's information regarding the invasion with the Avatar.

"Tonight we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the southern tribe." Arnook announced. "And they have brought with them someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now, The Avatar."

To that the crowd cheered and Chief Arnook waited until they stopped before continuing. "They are not our only guests here tonight. May I present Kal El and Ursa, defectors from the Fire Nation that have sworn to help us survive the day we have long feared coming. With their help and the help of the Avatar our tribe will survive the invasion on our doorstep."

"We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age." Arnook stated before allowing Yue to speak.

"Thank you father" she said. "May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times."

"Now Master Pakku and his students will perform" Arnook stated. With that statement Pakku and two other waterbenders displayed their mastery of waterbending. Aang and Katara looked on with excitement at what they could learn and Kal El was amused by their performance. When Pakku was finished Arnook introduced Aang to him and arranged for lessons to begin at sunrise.

That morning Kal El decided to watch the waterbending lessons, curious to see how it worked from their perspective. When Kal El arrived he couldn't see Katara anywhere. _Maybe someone else is teaching her_ he thought. Aang struggled from time to time but Kal El could see him improving with each mistake.

When the lessons were over Kal El walked over to Aang. "Where's Katara?" Kal El asked.

"Master Pakku won't teach her because she's a girl" Aang said.

"Why? The Fire Nation teaches its girls how to firebend. Pakku's freezing his own foot by being picky. I'm going to have a word with him" Kal El said before walking back towards Pakku.

"Ah Kal El, is there something you need?" Pakku said.

"In a manner of speaking yes" Kal El said. "Aang told me you won't teach Katara because she's a girl. Why?"

"It is forbidden for women to learn waterbending in our tribe. Here women use it to heal instead" Pakku explained.

"You do realize your crippling yourself by denying half of your people the ability to fight." Kal El said. "Even with my help in the coming invasion there will be casualties. You can't afford to limit your people's ability to defend itself."

"If we must sacrifice our ways to survive then we do not survive at all. I will not teach her" Pakku said before leaving.

That night Pakku caught Aang teaching Katara and was now refusing to teach either of them. The following morning Kal El observed Katara asking for Pakku to teach Aang again. Kal El and Ursa were standing off to the side while Chief Arnook spoke.

"I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him." Arnook said.

"Fine" Katara said.

"I'm waiting little girl" Pakku said.

Suddenly fire was thrown between Katara and Pakku, and everyone turned to see that it was Ursa that had thrown it. "Enough with the sexism" She said. "I may be a guest here but I will not tolerate you putting down women solely because of gender. If you really want to prove that women shouldn't fight, then fight me right now."

"Very well, but outside please." Pakku said.

Once they were outside Ursa took a firebending stance while Pakku took a waterbending stance. Pakku made the first move summoning water and throwing it towards Ursa. She responded with a large fireblast which evaporated the water. Then Pakku formed a thick ring of water around them both and Ursa created a wall of fire around herself, being careful not to melt the floor beneath it. Ursa let her wall touch Pakku's ring creating steam to blind the old man. With Pakku's vision obscured Ursa released a stream of fire at him, which Pakku blocked by drawing water from the ice beneath him.

"You're out of your element my dear" Pakku said "Literally!" Then Pakku summoned a wave of water from behind him and sent it towards Ursa, who jumped and released fire from her feet sending her over Pakku and behind him. Once Ursa landed she threw more fire at Pakku who barely blocked with water in time. Pressing her attack she threw fire at the floor around Pakku, melting the ice and sending him into the water. But before Pakku could respond Ursa bended the very heat out of the water, freezing it and immobilizing Pakku and preventing him from bending.

"How did you do that?" Pakku asked.

"Ice is merely water without heat" Ursa said. "Firebenders can remove the heat and freeze the water. Now are you going to teach Katara or should we go for two out of three?" Ursa asked. Seeing Pakku nod and concede defeat Ursa walked back over to Katara.

"That was amazing" Katara said. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Ursa smiled and said "It's an unwritten rule that the Fire Lady must be able to defend herself and the children from all possible threats."

"Wait you're the FIRE Lady" Sokka yelled. "As in the WIFE of the guy that's trying to take over the world."

"Yes and I'm trying to undo the damage he and his father have caused, starting with the Water Tribes" Ursa said.

"Maybe there's some hope for Prince Jerk after all?" Sokka wondered aloud before walking away.

The following morning Pakku started teaching Katara waterbending. She was determined to learn as much as she could as fast as possible. They were running out of time.

The invasion was on its way to the North Pole.

_A/N: I hope you liked Ursa's fight scene. Someone that had to deal with Azula and Ozai on a daily basis would have to badass just to survive._


	16. The Siege of the North

Chapter 16: The Siege of the North

Two weeks had passed in what seemed like no time at all. Ursa met with Chief Arnook every day to discuss their strategy to defend the North Pole, providing all the information she knew about what Fire Nation ships and soldiers were capable of and how to beat them. Sokka trained with the other Water Tribe warriors, exchanging their skills for his experience. Katara learned and practiced her waterbending day and night quickly surpassing all of Pakku's other students. Aang practiced his airbending in addition to waterbending, experimenting with combining the two.

Kal El inspected the defenses of the city, pointing out which areas were most likely to be attacked first and convincing the waterbenders to reinforce them. He also helped set up emergency shelters to protect the wounded and children too young to fight. And as a last resort established routes out of the city in case the worst happened.

When the black snow began to fall, they were ready.

Kal El and Aang had taken point on the wall. Kal El had decided to wear a blue coat over his Fire Nation clothes. Ursa stood behind them coordinating the warrior. She chose to wear Water Tribe furs for the battle, but kept her headpiece that showed her status as Fire Lady.

The first ship on the horizon launched a large fireball directly at the ice wall. Anticipating this first strike a team of waterbenders created a wide column of ice to intercept it. The column shattered from the impact but the wall was undamaged. More fireballs followed the first one but each was blocked by fresh columns of ice.

With the battle begun Aang took Appa into the air to intercept the ship. Within minutes Aang had disabled its weapons and crew, allowing waterbenders to freeze the ship in place. Back in the air Aang spotted the main fleet on the horizon. Following the plan Aang returned to the wall.

"There's even more ships out there than we planned for" Aang told everyone.

"Zhao must have called in every favor he's earned over the years" Ursa said. "If there's one thing he believes in its overkill."

"The plan can still work at least until sunset" Kal El said. "Zhao will stop the attack during the night and we can adjust the plan while he waits for dawn."

As the armada came into range they fired more fireballs at the wall. Many of them were intercepted by waterbenders. Others needed to be shot down by Kal El's firevision and Ursa's firebending. However a few of them made it through and struck the ice wall, leaving craters in it.

As the ships closed the distance to the wall Aang took to the air. He went from ship to ship disabling each crew leaving the ships adrift. Meanwhile Kal El had jumped into the water and swam at high speed. The warriors on the ice wall observed a red and blue blur in the water moving between the ships, punching holes in their hulls beneath the waterline, sinking the ships.

As the sun began to set the Fire Nation ships halted their attack. The ice wall was severely damaged but not broken. Aang and Kal El returned to the city to rest. While Ursa and Arnook discussed the plan for tomorrow Katara, Yue, Aang, and Kal El waited outside watching the moon overhead.

"The legends say the moon was the first waterbender" Yue said. "Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."

"I've always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night" Katara said.

"Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon; our life comes from the spirit of the ocean" Yue said. "They work together to keep balance."

"The spirits, may I can find them and get their help." Aang said.

"How can you do that?" Yue asked.

"The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the spirit world. Aang can talk to them" Katara explained.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try" Kal El said.

"The only problem is last time you got to the spirit world by accident. How are you going to get there this time?" Katara asked.

"I have an idea, but we're going to need Appa." Yue said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"I don't think he likes me" Kal El said.

Aang, Katara, and Yue had already climbed aboard Appa. But the bison wouldn't let Kal El on and would only growl at him and move away when Kal El came near.

"Well you did knock him out for over a day with one hit" Aang said. "Appa tends to remember anyone that can do that."

"Well then you guys will have to fly ahead and I'll follow on foot" Kal El suggested.

"Ok then, Yip Yip" Aang said. The bison took off and with Yue at the reins flew north, beyond the edge of the city. With his speed Kal El was able to keep up easily, even when a blizzard began to form in his path.

On the bison Aang could barely see ahead through the falling snow. Yue just keep going north, ignoring the blizzard. "You sure we should be flying in this" Katara said.

"We have to fly through it" Yue said. "This blizzard only forms when people approach. It protects the most sacred place in the entire North Pole."

Suddenly the blizzard stopped and they could see the place Yue was leading them too. Ahead of them was a massive structure made from huge white crystals which intersected at impossible angles. "What is it?" Aang asked.

"Avatar Kuruk came here many times during his life" Yue said. "He called it the _Fortress of Solitude_."


	17. The Stronghold of the North

Chapter 17: The Stronghold of the North

Appa landed near the entrance of the Fortress and everyone climbed off him. Seconds later Kal El arrived, barely slowed down by the blizzard on the way there. In between two of the large crystals was a door made of the same crystal material, but there was no handle on it.

"So how do we get in?" Katara asked.

"Maybe we should knock?" Aang suggested. Walking up to the door Aang knocked on it several times. The door light up revealing the symbols of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Then it opened for Aang and a feminine voice said:

"_Welcome Avatar."_

"Did it just talk?" Katara asked?

"It would appear so" Yue said. "Let's get inside before the door closes."

Everyone quickly entered the Fortress and the door closed behind them. After half an hour of wandering the Fortress they had found several chambers with strange devices in them, all made from the same material as the Fortress itself. Some contained devices that appeared to be weapons, while others contained crystalline armor. There was even a room with what appeared to be a crystalline tank inside. However, none of these rooms appeared to be the spiritual center of the Fortress.

"This place is interesting, but if I'm going to enter the spirit world I need a place to meditate." Aang said.

Suddenly a beam of light swept over Aang and he was gone. "What just happened?" Katara asked.

"_Avatar has been transported to the Meditation Chamber."_

"Can we go the Meditation Chamber?" Kal El asked.

"_Affirmative, transporting now."_

The same beam of light swept over Yue, Katara, and Kal El. Instantly they found themselves in a large room with twelve statues arranged in a circle. Each statue stood thirty feet tall and was shaped like a person pointing towards a small hole in the center of the ceiling. Through the hole they could see the stars and the moon start to pass overhead.

"There you guys are" Aang said.

"Does anyone else feel like their insides were just scrambled?" Katara asked.

"Yea, I don't feel so good" Yue said. "I'm going to lie down for a little while." She sat down next to one of the statues, waiting for her stomach to settle.

Kal El looked at the twelve statues. Each one had a different face and a different symbol displayed on its chest. Kal El looked around until his eyes fell on the statue with the S in a diamond symbol.

"No way" Kal El said.

"What is it Kal" Aang said.

"That statue" Kal El said. "The symbol on its chest is the same one that's on the blanket my father found me in eight years ago."

"Maybe it belonged to whoever this guy was?" Aang suggested.

"Are you going to enter the spirit world or admire the decorations all night?" Katara asked.

"Oh right" Aand said. Then he went to the center of the room beneath the hole in the ceiling and began to meditate. Within seconds his tattoos began to glow and the crystals of the Fortress began to glow blue as well.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile Prince Zuko was busy infiltrating the North Pole. After his ship had been destroyed by pirates he stowed away on Zhao's ship and let it carry him north. After nearly freezing to death in the cold water Zuko found a way inside the city and was now searching for the Avatar. But the Avatar had fled the city and Zuko couldn't follow without being discovered.

Since the Avatar wasn't there Zuko decided to eavesdrop on the water tribe chief discussing the plans for tomorrow's battle. _If I can't reach him now I can at least find out where he will be when Zhao attacks again_ he thought. Zuko could hear the chief talking but not the woman he was talking with. She was turned away from him which muffled her voice.

After listening for an hour Zuko learned that Aang was scheduled to strike when the ice wall finally fell. There he would use a blend of air and waterbending to take the Fire Nation soldiers by surprise the moment they break through. About to leave Zuko saw the chief and the woman get up and walk out of the room, taking them past Zuko's hiding place.

Zuko finally got a good look at the woman's face, and was shocked to discover that it was his mother. _That can't be her_ he thought. _Kal wouldn't bring mother _here_ of all places._ Needing answers Zuko followed her until she entered her private room. When no one was watching Zuko went to the door and opened it, surprised that it wasn't locked.

Ursa was about to get some sleep when her door opened. Turning towards the door she saw Zuko standing there. The old burn and smaller new ones marked his face but it was still him. "Zuko?" was all she could say.

"Mom?" was all he could say in return. At the same time they ran towards each other, embracing each other. "I've missed you so much" Zuko said.

"I've missed you too Zuko" Ursa said. "How did you get here?" she asked.

"I found a way in, but that doesn't matter Mom" Zuko said. "Why would Kal bring you here out of all the places in the world? He knew the Avatar would come here and that Zhao would follow him with the entire navy at his back."

"He does know Zuko and Kal plans to stop Zhao" Ursa said. "You know that if anyone can save this city its Kal. But enough about him, it's good to see you again."

"But I don't have the Avatar" Zuko said. "I've lost my honor."

"Not in my eyes" Ursa said.

"Well isn't this a sentimental moment" a new voice said. "I'm touched."

Ursa and Zuko turned towards the door and found none other than Admiral Zhao standing there. He was flanked by several elite firebenders which stood guard in case they were spotted. They all wore dark clothes, blending into the shadows to avoid detection. Zhao entered the room, ready to gloat.

"When I heard the Fire Lady had vanished without a trace I had no idea I would find her here. This certainly explains why the Water Tribe defenders were so efficient. And to see her reuniting with her banished son is a real bonus. Now what should I do with the two of you? Perhaps I should make you beg for mercy, on your knees perhaps?"

"I'd like to see you try" Zuko said while taking a firebending stance.

"I wouldn't do that" Zhao said. With those words Zhao's firebenders took aim at Zuko. "If you attempt to strike me my men will burn you and your mother to ashes. So if you want to live you will come with me."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the spirit world, Aang observed his surroundings. The twelve statues were still there and the floor between them was made of the crystal from the Fortress, but everything else was different. The terrain around the statues was a swamp with strange trees scattered in it. Looking up Aang saw that the sky was orange and the sun was red.

"Hello Aang."

Turning towards the voice Aang saw Avatar Roku standing between two of the statues. Aang said "Roku, the Water Tribe is under attack. I need to find the Ocean and the Moon spirits."

"The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over from the spirit world to the mortal world very near the beginning. There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember." Roku said.

"Who?" Aang asked.

"The spirit's name is Koh. But he is very dangerous. They call him 'The Face Stealer'. When you speak with him you must be very careful to show no emotion at all, not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face."

Aang quickly traveled to Koh's lair, the spirit world itself showing the way. Once there Aang prepared himself and entered a dark cavern beneath a strange tree. While showing no emotion Aang said "Hello, I'm looking for a spirit named Koh."

"**Welcome."**

"Thank you."

Koh revealed himself to Aang, showing off his centipede like body.** "My old friend the Avatar, it's been a long time."**

"You know me?"

"**How could I forget you? One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me, eight or nine hundred years ago."**

"I didn't know that. Why did he, or I, try to kill you?"

"**Oh it was something about stealing the face of someone you loved. Of course that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life? However, I noticed you have strange taste in allies for an Avatar."**

"What do you mean?"

"**One of your companions… is a TRAVELER!"**

**OOOOOOOOOO  
**

Back at the Fortress Katara and Yue watched over Aang's body. Sunrise was still hours away and the moon was directly overhead so they still had time to wait for Aang to find the Ocean and Moon spirits. Kal El was standing in front of the statue with the S in a diamond symbol, staring at the symbol.

"Are you alright Kal?" Katara asked.

"I don't know" Kal El said. "I've never been here before and yet it feels so familiar." Then he touched the base of the statue, and all twelve statues light up. A figure appeared above Aang, a man wearing a white robe with a silver S in a diamond symbol on it. He appeared to be in his thirties, with graying hair at the temples. When Kal El looked at it, the figure began to speak.

_Kal-El. I am your father Jor-El. If you are seeing this message then our world is already gone. When you were a child I discovered that our planet was about to explode, and to spare you our fate I sent you to this world. You are the only survivor of the planet Krypton. Even though you have been raised as a human, you are not one of them. Their world's yellow sun will give you abilities no human can match. Only their Avatar, the spirit of their world, will be your equal in power._

_Live among them Kal-El. Guide their path, for they are now what we once were. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son. Preserve your heritage Kal-El. You are the last of our race. The Last Son of Krypton._

_The Last Kryptonian._

A/N: Yes I used lines from Marlon Brando's performance in Superman the movie. I'm not the first person to do that and definitely wont be the last._  
_


	18. The Spirits of the North

Chapter 18: The Spirits of the North

In the spirit world, Aang continued to talk with Koh the Face stealer. "What is a Traveler?" Aang asked.

"**A Traveler is a creature not from your world or this one, but a third world altogether."**

"Why would allying with one be strange for an Avatar?"

"**A Traveler's very existence in your world destroys the balance of power in it. If a Traveler decided to destroy your world not even YOU would be able to stop it. A fully realized Avatar would be an equal match for ONE Traveler, but they posses weapons that can destroy continents with one strike. Your world is not ready to deal with that kind of power."**

_He must be talking about Kal_ Aang thought. "The person you speak of is trying to restore the balance. He and I get along just fine."

"**For now perhaps. But it is only a matter of time before he acts against you."**

"Do I hear a grudge in your words?"

"**Maybe. About two or three thousand years ago a Traveler discovered me. Anyone would hold a grudge against his kind for what he did."**

"What did he do?"

"**He banished me to the Phantom Zone. A perverse mockery of the spirit world where the sun is cold, the earth is barren, nothing ever lives, nothing ever dies. It took me centuries to find the way out and by then the Traveler had already left your world."**

"I'll take my chances."

"**Very well, don't say I didn't warn you. So how may I help you?"**

"I need to find the Moon and the Ocean."

"**Their spirit names are Tui and La, push and pull. That has been the nature of their relationship for all time."**

"Please help me find them. An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help."

"**Even with a Traveler currently on your side you seek more allies. You really don't need their help. It's quite the other way around. They need your help."**

"Why? What's about to happen to them?"

"**Someone's going to kill them."**

"Where can I find them and protect them?"

"**You should have already met them, had you used the natural entrance to the spirit world."**

"There is another way into the spirit world?"

"**Yes, the natural entrance is within that city you wish to save. But a Traveler came and created an artificial entrance, one that is easier to use. The natural entrance is where the Moon and Ocean reside in their eternal dance."**

"And where is this entrance?"

"**One of your companions already knows where it is. She will show the way."**

"I must be going now."

"**We will meet again."**

**OOOOOOOOOO  
**

_You are the last of our race. The Last Son of Krypton. The Last Kryptonian._

With those words the figure of Jor-El vanished, leaving everyone in the room speechless. Kal El fell to his knees, tears running down his face. Katara walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She wanted to help him but words wouldn't come.

"I always knew I was different" Kal El said. "No one else has my abilities, but I always thought they were a natural accident. I never suspected this."

"This doesn't change who you are" Katara said. "Human or not you're still here trying to do the right thing. That's all that matters right now."

"They're all gone" Kal El said. "An entire world of people all dead, and I'm the only one left. I'm all alone."

"You're not alone." Katara said. "Aang is the last airbender, he knows what you're going through. When this is all over he can help you get through this. Just keep it together until Aang gets back."

As if on cue the glow in Aang's tattoos and the Fortress faded, bringing him back to the physical world. Immediately he said "The Moon and Ocean spirits are in danger, we need to get to them now."

"Did you find out where they are?" Yue asked.

"I was told they were at the natural entrance to the spirit world, the one before this Fortress was built." Aang said.

"The spirit oasis?" Yue said.

"You know where it is?" Aang asked.

"Yes, but will take at least an hour to get there from here." Yue said.

Suddenly the light in the room turned a deep red. Everyone looked up through the hole in the ceiling and saw the moon. It was red. Yue and Aang felt sudden weakness, triggered by the change. "I don't think we have an hour?" Aang said.

"We need to get there now" Kal El said standing up. _I really hope this works_ he thought. "Fortress, transport us to the spirit oasis."

"_Warning: That location is one-way transport only. You will not be able to transport back."_

"Do it" Kal El said.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

In a flash of light, the chamber was empty.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_A few minutes earlier…_

After entering the spirit oasis with his soldiers and special prisoners Zhao walked up to the pool of water in the center. Zhao reached into the water and grabbed the Moon spirit, placing it in a bag. Immediately the moon turned red and Zhao reached for the Ocean spirit, placing it in the same bag. With that act all moving water in the North Pole came to a halt, shattering the defenses of the Water Tribe. This was the signal for the invasion to resume, and with waterbending disabled the Water Tribe would fall within the hour.

"I am a legend now." Zhao said, holding the bag with his left hand. "The Fire Nation will forever now tell stories of the great Zhao who darkened the moon. They will call be Zhao the Conqueror. Zhao the Spirit-Slayer. Zhao the Invincible."

"You're making a mistake" Ursa cried out. "Killing those spirits will harm the Fire Nation just as much as the Water Tribe."

Suddenly a blinding light appeared within the spirit oasis. When the light vanished Kal El, Aang, Katara, and Yue were standing at the opposite end of the oasis from Zhao. "Let the spirits go NOW!" Kal El yelled.

"I don't think so _Traveler_" Zhao said as he held his right hand next to the bag, ready to firebend. "Oh yes I know what you are. The same place I learned of these spirits contained records of visitors with abilities just like yours. The strength of an army, faster than the wind, a gaze of fiery death, you're a God among mortals and don't even realize it. The moment I read the texts I knew you were one of them. But not even you can deny me my destiny now."

"There are at least six different ways I can stop you right now" Kal El said.

"But they all involve deadly force don't they? And you don't do that." Zhao gloated. "Oh you'll sink ships, disarm soldiers, but you'd never resort to killing in cold blood. If you want these spirits to live so badly then you will surrender and KNEEL."

Kal El stared at Zhao, looking for a weakness to exploit. Zhao's right arm was positioned to firebend at the bag containing the spirits, if Kal moved even a millisecond too slow Zhao would firebend and kill the spirits. The bag itself was held in Zhao's left arm, held close to his body.

"KNEEL BEFORE ZHAO!"

Sighing, Kal El looked down, preparing himself to do what was necessary. On the ground next to his foot he saw a small pebble in the grass. _That's it!_ He thought. _The way out._ Then Kal El bent down, as if to kneel.

"Kal you can't just give up" Aang said.

Ignoring Aang's protest, Kal El continued to bend down. Reaching to the ground he quickly grabbed the pebble. Focusing the strength in his hand Kal El flicked the pebble towards Zhao, the force more than enough to send the pebble flying faster than the eye could see and directly into Zhao's right arm, shattering the bone.

"OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW"

With his right arm broken Zhao couldn't firebend with it. Instantly Kal El blurred over to Zhao and grabbed his left arm, snapping it and forcing Zhao to drop the spirits. With a quick shove Zhao was sent flying through the air, landing on the ice outside the oasis.

Following Kal El's lead Aang leapt into battle with the firebenders holding Ursa and Zuko. A few quick airblasts disoriented them long enough for Aang to free Ursa. Once she was free Ursa released a few fireblasts to keep the firebenders distracted while Aang freed Zuko. Together the three of them quickly overwhelmed the firebenders.

With the threat neutralized Kal El picked up the spirits and released them back into the water. They resumed their eternal dance and the moon returned to normal and waterbending was restored. But the damage had already been done. The Fire Nation had already entered the city and it was too late to stop them.

"There you guys are." Turning towards the entrance to the spirit oasis Kal El saw Sokka entering with several warriors behind him. "We have to evacuate before the Fire Nation gets here. We're being overrun."

"**Traveler."**

Everyone turned towards the sound of the new voices, that of a man and a woman speaking as one. The pool of water in the oasis was glowing. The spirits of the Moon and Ocean were speaking with them.

"**We are in your debt Traveler. Allow us to aid you against your foes. Step forward with the Avatar. Take our power, and use it to defeat your enemies."**

Aang and Kal El walked up to the pool. Together they stepped into the water, letting its glow wash over them. Then they and the spirits vanished from the pool. Suddenly the water throughout the city began to glow a bright blue, and the light of the moon became blinding. The glowing water coalesced into a massive creature shaped like the koi fish, with Aang in the center with the Avatar State active. From the sky a similar creature formed from the moon's light, with Kal El in the center and his eyes glowing red.

The Ocean spirit began attacking the Fire Nation soldiers with large waves of water while the Moon spirit attacked with beams of light. The Water Tribe warriors immediately dropped to the ground in worship of the spirits, and the spirits left them alone. The Fire Nation soldiers attempted to fight the spirits, but only suffered their wrath. As the spirits approached the Fire Nation ships began to retreat, attempting to save themselves. But the spirits didn't stop. Once outside the city the Ocean spirit unleashed a massive wave of water capsizing dozens of ships. The Moon spirit continued the attack with several wide beams of light destroying dozens more.

Then the spirits ceased their attack, letting the few remaining ships flee. They would tell the world that the spirits are not to be trifled with. Satisfied and their debt to the Traveler paid in full the spirits returned to the oasis, leaving behind the Traveler and Avatar in the city.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_That little brat broke my arm, AGAIN!_ Zhao thought as he ran away from the spirit oasis. His right arm hung limp at his side and he could barely move his left arm. Zhao ignored the pain as he fled for his life, currently crossing an ice bridge. Suddenly a fireblast hit the bridge in front of Zhao. He turned and saw that it was Zuko that had fired it.

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko said as he threw more fire at Zhao. He was able to dodge most of the fire but one blast hit his left arm. The crippling pain sent Zhao to his knees, unable to continue.

"Finish it!" Zhao cried out, wanting this horrible night to simply end.

Zuko wanted to kill him, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "No" Zuko said. "No you get to live. Live with your failure and disgrace. It's a far more fitting punishment than death." Then Zuko turned and walked away from Zhao.

"Coward!" Zhao yelled. He got to his feet and despite the pain he used his legs to send a wave of fire towards Zuko.

"You fool!" Zuko yelled back as he blocked Zhao's attack and retaliated with a stronger fireblast. Unable to block Zhao was hit in the chest, the force making him stumble backwards near the edge of the bridge. Seeing Zhao about to fall off Zuko ran up to Zhao to pull him back from the edge. Zhao made one last fireblast with his legs, slowing down Zuko and pushing Zhao off the bridge and he fell into the water. Unable to swim with broken arms Zhao sank to the bottom and drowned.

Zuko stood on the bridge looking at the water for ten minutes, waiting for any sign that Zhao lived. When nothing appeared Zuko left to find Iroh and leave the city. _Zhao's gone, Mom's safe, I can capture the Avatar another day._

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
_

The next morning the Water Tribe began to repair their city. They buried their dead in the water, according to their tradition. A celebration was held to honor the victors and those that gave their lives for the tribe.

During the celebrations Chief Arnook led Kal El aside for a private conversation. "Yue told me how you saved the spirits" he said. "You not only saved them, you saved my daughter."

"I don't understand" Kal El said.

"The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born" Arnook said. "I saw a beautiful, brave young woman become the Moon spirit. When I saw the red moon I knew that day had come. But you spared her that fate. As a father, I am eternally grateful."

"I try to do the right thing, wherever I can" Kal El said.

"There's more" Arnook said. "After you saved the spirits they gave me a new vision. I saw a young man in the sky, watching over us all. He was a shining light for the world to follow to a better future. But instead of the Avatar, what I saw was a Superman. This time, I look forward to when that day comes."


	19. The Avatar State

Chapter 19: The Avatar State

Three weeks had passed since the attack on the Northern Water Tribe, and the city had already been rebuilt. As everything was made of ice it was easy to simply reshape it with waterbending back to the way it was before the attack. Master Pakku had decided that Katara was sufficiently skilled in waterbending to teach Aang now, and advised him to begin earthbending.

Kal El decided to travel with Aang to Omashu. After the battle Kal El had time to reflect on Jor-El's words from the Fortress. He was the last of his kind, but so was Aang as well. They were similar and Kal El felt that they should stick together.

Appa didn't agree though. He still wouldn't let Kal El ride in the saddle. Pakku had decided to travel to the Southern Water Tribe and he offered Aang a ride. After a few days of sailing they entered Earth Kingdom waters and Pakku wished everyone farewell after giving Katara a vial of water from the spirit oasis. Since they were near the shore Kal El jumped off the boat and ran over the water to the shore. Watching Appa take off Kal El followed on the ground easily keeping pace.

The plan was to obtain an escort to Omashu at the nearest Earth Kingdom base. After a few hours Appa arrived there and landed on top of the main building. From outside the base's walls Kal El leaped, going over the walls and landing next to Appa. The force of his landing cracked the floor and startled the soldiers that came to greet Aang. A man in an Earth Kingdom uniform with a long bead walked up the group.

"Welcome Avatar Aang, I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you great heroes. Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, powerful Kal El." With his words fireworks exploded in the air, celebrating their arrival. Once the grand welcoming was finished the general brought everyone inside.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you and Kal El wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

"I try not to think about it too much" Aang said.

"Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now" Fong said.

"What!" Aang said. "No I'm not!"

"Aang still needs to master all four elements" Katara stated.

"Why?" Fong asked. "With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now."

"But sir, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State."

"I see" Fong said. "Then we will have to get you into the Avatar State."

"But I don't know how to do that" Aang said.

"Then I'll help you figure out how to enter the Avatar State and then you'll face your destiny" Fong declared.

"No, we already have a plan" Katara said. "Aang's pursuing his destiny his way."

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying Aang, you can end it now. Think about it." Fong then walked away giving Aang time to come to a decision.

That night Aang still wasn't sure what to do.

"Kal do you think I should try to force the Avatar State?" Aang asked.

"That depends, once in the Avatar State, can you control it?"

"Kind of" Aang said.

"In that case, no" Kal El said.

"Why not?" Sokka said. "You have a lot of power Kal and that seems to be working just fine."

"I have a lot of power Sokka, _and_ a lot of control." Kal El said. "Every minute of every day I have to keep that power in check. It's like I live in a world made of glass, always taking constant care not to break something, or break _someone_. Never allowing myself to lose control or people will die. That's the price of power Sokka, something you don't understand."

The next morning General Fong asked Aang what his decision is. He didn't take it well. After hearing Aang refuse to let him force the Avatar State Fong earthbended the rock under his table towards Aang, catching everyone by surprise. The rock hit Aang and forced him out the window, falling to the courtyard below. Kal El blurred down to the courtyard barely catching Aang in time.

"Men, attack the Avatar!" Fong ordered. The earthbenders brought stone wheels out of the ground and threw them at Aang and Kal El. Aang dodged them and Kal El let them hit and shatter on contact. Fong jumped down from the tower, earthbending to soften the impact and send a wave of earth towards Aang. Kal El blurred towards Aang and carried him out of the way.

"You have no idea what you're doing Fong" Kal El said. Then he blurred towards Fong and punched him, sending Fong through the air and slamming into the wall behind him. Then Kal El blurred across the courtyard tossing aside all the earthbenders, removing them from the fight. Suddenly the earth split between Kal El's legs, dropping him into the forming crevice. Before he could react the crevice closed with him still in it.

Aang turned and saw that it was Fong that trapped Kal El. "You could save him if you were in the Avatar State" Fong said.

Suddenly a maelstrom formed around Aang, his tattoos and eyes glowing. Aang threw a powerful airblast at Fong, throwing him back. Then the ground near Aang broke open as Kal El jumped out. With no time to spare Kal El blurred towards Aang and restrained him. "You have to stop!" he yelled.

Struggling against Kal El Aang attempted to bend. The winds continued to blow and the earth around him fractured and shook apart, but Kal El didn't let go. He let the wind and earth strike him, patiently waiting for Aang to run out of energy and exit the Avatar State. Once that was done Katara walked up to Aang.

"I'm sorry Katara, I hope you never have to see me like that again" Aang said.

"Are you joking? That was almost perfect" Fong said. "And with Kal El pointing you in the right direction we're ready to go to the Fire Nation." Then Sokka walked up behind Fong and smacked the general's head with his boomerang, finally knocking him out.

"Anyone have a problem with that?" Sokka asked. No one did. Having outlived their welcome at the base, Aang, Katara, and Sokka got on Appa and flew off towards Omashu with Kal El following on foot.

_A/N: I know filler chapter. Remove Zuko's portion and Roku's exposition and there really isn't much the episode provides to the larger plot._


	20. Vision in the Dark

Chapter 20: Vision in the Dark

Halfway to Omashu the group stopped next to a river. Katara was teaching Aang new waterbending moves and Sokka was relaxing on a giant leaf floating on the water. Kal El was trying in vain to get Appa to like him. He could almost touch Appa's fur now before the bison would back away. Then everyone heard music coming towards them. Turning towards the music everyone saw five people in strange outfits walking down the path.

After a brief question about river people, the strangers introduced themselves as nomads. Their leader Chong didn't have any particular destination in mind so they decided to hang out with Aang and Katara. Before long they had braided Appa's fur and Chong's wife Lily was braiding Katara's hair. Sokka was already annoyed by the nomads and Kal El was getting impatient.

"Can we please get going now?" Kal El asked.

"We need to get to Omashu as quickly as possible" Sokka said.

"Woah, someone's got a case of destination fever" Chong said. "You worry too much about where you're going."

"You got to focus less of the where and more on the going" Lily said.

"That's kind of difficult when everything rushes by in a blur" Kal El said.

"Besides, Aang needs to get to Omashu to learn earthbending somewhere safe" Katara said.

"Well sounds like you're headed to Omashu" Chong said. This prompted Sokka and Kal El to smack their foreheads in unison. "There's an old story about a secret pass, right through the mountains." Then Chong played a song about the Secret Tunnel describing the legend about it.

"Well with the Fire Nation guarding the roads and watching the skies, a tunnel could get us past them undetected" Kal El said. "If it gets us moving I'm willing to try it."

It took everyone an hour to reach the entrance to the tunnel. During that time Sokka grew more and more irritated by the nomads, while Kal El tuned them out. Along the way Chong mentioned how the tunnel was more like a labyrinth and Lily mentioned a curse, bringing up complaints from Sokka. As they approached the entrance one of the nomads spotted smoke behind them.

"Hey someone's making a big campfire" the nomad said.

"Wonderful, Fire Nation on our trail" Kal El said.

"Everyone into the hole" Sokka ordered.

After everyone was inside Kal El noticed that several Fire Nation tanks had stopped just outside the tunnel. Instead of following they brought down the roof, trapping everyone inside. _Figures_ Kal El thought.

Sokka came up with a plan get through the tunnel. He handed Kal El a piece of paper and a pencil. Kal El would explore the tunnel at super-speed and map it out for everyone else. That way they wouldn't waste time running into dead ends. After ten minutes Kal El had found a way to the other side of the mountains.

"This way" Kal El said, leading everyone. After several turns following the map Kal El made, they came to a dead end. "What the…" Kal El said, checking his map. "This wall isn't supposed to be here."

"Did we take a wrong turn?" Aang asked.

"No this is the path I found the exit through" Kal El said. "This wall wasn't here before."

"Can you knock the wall down then?" Sokka asked.

"Not without causing a cave in" Kal El explained. Staring into the wall, Kal El felt something strange in his eyes, which briefly flashed blue. Suddenly his vision changed and he saw the other side of the wall, the wolf-bats on the ceiling, other tunnels past the wall, and several badgermoles reshaping the tunnels. "Woah!" Kal El cried out and then his vision returned to normal.

"What happened" Katara asked.

"Something very weird" Kal El said.

"Hey weird is part of what we do, so I doubt this will shock us" Sokka said.

"Okay, I just saw _through_ the wall and saw the tunnels being reshaped by badgermoles" Kal El said.

Everyone was speechless. Then the ground started to shake as a badgermole burst through a wall. It's entrance triggering a cave in. The falling rocks separated the group, leaving Sokka with the nomads, Aang with Katara, and Kal El with Appa and the badgermole.

The badgermole turned towards Kal El and charged at him. Dodging with his speed Kal El grabbed the creature's tail and threw it down the tunnel. Disoriented the badgermole used earthbending to make a new path and left. With the threat gone Kal El turned towards Appa. It was impossible to see but Kal El could hear Appa breathing.

"I know you don't like me, but we have to work together to get out here, ok?" Kal El asked Appa. The beast growled but followed as Kal El walked down the tunnel. Along the way the strange sensation in Kal El's eyes would return and he would see through the walls, but before Kal El could use this strange vision it would turn off leaving him in the dark. _This is getting annoying_ he thought after an hour of wandering. _Either work or don't._

Then the strange vision came back and stayed on, allowing Kal El to see the path ahead, and where everyone else was in the tunnel. Sokka and the nomads had calmed two badgermoles with music while Aang and Katara had found glowing crystals marking the real path through the tunnels. Focusing to keep this strange vision on Kal El lead Appa through the tunnel, avoiding the badgermoles he saw through the walls. He and Appa were the last ones out of the tunnel, just after Sokka burst through with the badgermoles. Once outside Appa leapt through the air, glad to see the sky again.

"Well this is embarrassing" Kal El said. "The fastest man alive being the last to cross the finish line."

"How did you find your way out anyway?" Sokka asked.

"Apparently I see through walls now and don't need light when I do that" Kal El said.

"Okay…" Soka said.

"This has something to do with your 'heritage' doesn't it?" Katara asked.

"Most likely" Kal El said.

"Heritage? What are you talking about?" Sokka said.

"Oh yea, we forgot to tell you about that Sokka" Kal El said.

After leaving the nomads behind Kal El and Katara told Sokka about the Fortress they visited back at the North Pole and what Jor-El said there.

"So instead of Fire Nation you're really from another world. One that completely blew up decades ago" Sokka said.

"Yup."

"And you're the only person left from that world."

"Yup."

"And the sun is what fuels your powers."

"Yup."

"So in our little gang we have the last southern waterbender, the last of all airbenders, and the last of a species that become superbenders here."

"Yup."

"And I'm the only one here that isn't the last of something."

"Yup."

"Stop that!"

"Yup."

Then Sokka hit his forehead again and everyone else laughed.

_A/N: I hope you like my explanation for X-Ray Vision. Obviously I can't use that name for it in-story, since no one knows what x-rays are in the avatar world._


	21. Omashu

Chapter 21: Omashu

"I can't believe it" Aang said. "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed… untouchable."

The group had reached Omashu in the afternoon, and found that the city had already fallen to the Fire Nation. But it didn't make any sense for the city to have fallen now.

"I can't believe it either" Kal El said. "The attack on Omashu wasn't supposed to start for another month, and then it should have taken weeks to fall. I can understand the attack being started ahead of schedule, but the city should still be fighting."

"Now that Omashu has fallen Ba Sing Se is only Earth Kingdom stronghold left" Sokka said.

"This is horrible" Katara said. "But we have to move on."

"No" Aang said. "We're going in to find Bumi."

"I agree" Kal El said. "We need some answers."

That evening everyone entered Omashu through a sewer pipe that drained into the canyon around Omashu. Once they were through Kal El and Sokka were covered in the gunk that flowed through the pipe. Kal El got the gunk off himself by spinning at super-speed while Katara had to wash off Sokka. Then Sokka noticed two purple pentapus on his face and screamed.

After Aang got Sokka to quiet down he removed the pentapus from Sokka's face, leaving behind little red dots from their suckers. Then the group was spotted by guards that heard Sokka screaming.

"Hey, what are you kids doing out past curfew?" the lead guard asked.

"Sorry" Katara said. "We were just on our way home." Hoping to fool the guards everyone turned and walked away, pretending to know where they were going. Then the guard noticed the spots on Sokka's skin.

"Wait" the guard said. "What's the matter with him?"

"He has pentapox, sir" Katara said. As the guard walked up she continued with "It's highly contagious." Improvising Sokka faked being sick, freaking out the guard. "And deadly" Katara said.

"Wait, I think I've heard of pentapox" the guard said. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it" he asked another guard.

"I heard there's an outbreak of pentapox near Ba Sing Se" the other guard said. "We better wash our hands, and burn our clothes." Then the guards all ran away hoping to not get sick.

With the guards gone, the group began to search for King Bumi. While searching for the prison Kal El spotted several boulders rolling down the side of a tall building. Looking towards the bottom he saw several Fire Nation civilians walking right into the boulders' path. Kal El quickly got in the way of the boulders and let them shatter on impact with him. The noise drew attention from the people below and Kal El felt small knives hit him, breaking or bouncing off him.

Two guards climbed up a ladder to attack, but were easily dealt with by Katara. However a woman in red climbed up after them and threw several knives at Katara. Kal El blurred into the way and caught the knives, and then threw them back at the woman's feet.

"It's been a while Mai" Kal El said. "I haven't seen you since Tom Tom's birthday."

"You know her?" Katara asked.

"She was a friend of my cousin" Kal El explained.

"What are you doing here Kal?" Mai said. "I heard you went rogue and broke Zhao's arm… again."

"Both of them actually, but that's not the point" Kal El said. "I don't suppose you know where we can find a certain mad king?"

"You wouldn't be planning a jailbreak would you?" Mai asked.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well with Fire Lady Ursa missing and the Avatar still at large, it's obvious you're not working for the Fire Lord anymore" Mai said.

"Nothing ever slips past you, does it?" Kal El said. "We'll be leaving then."

"I should stop you" Mai said. "As if that were possible."

Kal El and the others left Mai alone while she returned to her parents below. While continuing to search the city several earthbenders approached Aang, requesting him to meet with the leader of the resistance.

"So is King Bumi with you guys?" Aang asked. "Is he leading the resistance?"

The earthbenders told Aang what happened when the invasion began. How King Bumi had surrendered the city without bothering to put up a fight. The leader of the earthbenders wanted to fight back, but Aang convinced the others to leave the city and fight another day. Sokka brought up the idea to fake a plague of pentapox to get the civilians out of Omashu.

The next day the plan was put into action. As the crowd wandered the city faking a plague the Fire Nation was all too eager to expel the people from the city. During the plan Aang searched again for Bumi, but only found his pet Flopsy.

When Aang returned to the earthbenders outside the city that night the leader had news for him. "We've got a problem" he said. "We just did a headcount."

"Oh no, did someone get left behind?" Katara asked.

"No, we have an extra" the leader said. He pointed towards Kal El, who was holding a two year old.

"Aang, meet Tom Tom" Kal El said. "Mai's little brother."

"How in the world get he end up here?" Aang asked.

"He must have somehow ended up in the crowd as the guards let them out of the city" Kal El said. "So should I super-speed him back now or wait until morning?"

Then a messenger hawk flew into their camp. Aang read the message it carried to everyone. The Fire Nation Governor wants Tom Tom back and is willing to trade King Bumi for him.

"So morning it is then" Kal El said.

The next day Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Kal El traveled to the designated exchange point with Tom Tom. Sokka was carrying the two year old, leaving everyone else available to fight in case of a double-cross. While waiting on the wooden scaffolding everyone saw three girls walking up to meet them. While a crane was lowering Bumi in a metal cage Kal El recognized all three of the girls.

"Mai, Ty Lee, Azula. The governor sent you three to handle the exchange?" Kal El asked.

"Wait you know _all_ of them?" Sokka asked.

"Is that really you Kal?" Ty Lee asked. "You're aura is really bright, and a beautiful shade of gold."

"What is she talking about?" Katara asked

"I have no idea" Kal El admitted. "Ty Lee only makes sense when she wants to."

"I'm surprised to see you here Kal" Azula said. "I thought kidnapping children was below your moral standards, much less using one for ransom."

"Well I was about to return the kid when Mai's father sent that hawk" Kal El said. "Since he so readily offered Bumi I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"Well since you were going to return him anyway, the deal's off." Azula said. The crane began to lift Bumi back up, when a narrow stream of fire melted the chain holding Bumi's cage. As Bumi fell Kal El jumped and grabbed the cage, landing behind the three girls.

"I don't think so Azula" Kal El said. "Now that we have Bumi I think we'll leave Tom Tom behind and go." As Kal El began to peel open Bumi's cage he felt someone hit his shoulder.

"OOOWWW!" Ty Lee cried out. Her fingers were bruised at the tips, having attempted to hit Kal El's pressure points but not getting through his invulnerable skin. With her technique not working she jumped to the side allowing Azula to shoot blue fire at Kal El. He blocked with his arms, not wanting to get his shirt burned.

Kal El's arms were red from the heat, but otherwise unharmed. "Better Azula, but still not hot enough" he said. Then he used his firevision to set the scaffolding on fire between him and Azula. Using that as a distraction Kal El went back to opening Bumi's cage. The metal easily tore apart in Kal El's hands, revealing the muscular old man.

"Well this was unexpected" Bumi said. As Kal El helped Bumi out of the cage Ty Lee hit Bumi's pressure points, paralyzing him. "Well now I should have expected that one." Kal El then picked up Bumi and blurred away, dropped Bumi off near Appa, then blurred back to the fight. "Such an unexpectable young man" Bumi said, laughing to himself.

When Kal El got back to the battlefield he spotted Aang fighting with Azula. He was barely holding her off while Katara fought Mai and Sokka dodged Ty Lee. Having gotten what they came for Kal El blurred in, grabbed Azula and threw her into Mai. Ty Lee got behind Katara and hit a few pressure points, disabling her bending. Kal El then grabbed Ty Lee and threw her into Mai and Azula, keeping them down.

Kal El then picked up his friends one by one and blurred them back to Appa. When everyone was safe he picked up Tom Tom and blurred him back to his parents. With everything taken care of he blurred back to the group.

However, Bumi wasn't exactly happy about being broken out prematurely. Bumi explained to Aang how he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, which hasn't arrived yet. Then Bumi told Aang that his proper earthbending teacher would be someone that waits and listens before striking. Then Bumi returned to Omashu where he would wait in the shadows for the right moment to take back his city.

_A/N: For some reason that last paragraph makes me want to see a Bumi/Batman crossover. Someone write that story._


	22. The Swamp

Chapter 22: The Swamp

"So this is what's like to fly."

Appa had finally allowed Kal El to ride in the saddle. Appa still didn't like him, but was willing to tolerate him. While Kal El could jump over fifty feet into the air, it was nothing like flying. Actually staying in the air without falling back to the ground was exhilarating.

The group was currently flying over a large swamp. Aang was slowly guiding Appa down, but Kal El was too distracted to notice. As Appa came near the tops of the trees Sokka asked why Aang was bringing them down.

"I know this is going to sound weird" Aang said. "But I think the swamp is calling to me. I think it wants us to land."

"No offense to the swamp" Sokka said. "But I don't see any land there to land on."

"Yeah Aang I think we should keep flying" Kal El said.

"I guess you're right" Aang said. "Bye swamp."

Suddenly a tornado formed behind Appa and closed in on him. Aang tried to steer Appa away from the tornado but it followed them with every turn. Sokka was nearly pulled off Appa in the winds before Katara grabbed his arm to keep him in. Aang created a sphere of wind around Appa to protect everyone, but once the tornado swallowed them Aang's wind sphere failed. When it failed the tornado pulled everyone off Appa and threw them into the swamp.

"Everyone alright?" Kal El asked.

"Just a few bruises, nothing serious" Sokka said.

"I'm fine Kal" Katara said.

"Where are Appa and Momo?" Aang asked. Not seeing them nearby Aang climbed to the top of the nearest tree to get a better view. He still couldn't find them, and the tornado that caught them had vanished as well. Aang returned to the others and asked "Do you see anything Kal?"

Kal El's eyes were glowing a faint blue, showing that he was using his ability to see through objects like the trees. He looked in all directions searching for Appa. "Only the local wildlife Aang" Kal El said. "They must be out of range."

"Maybe you do your blur thing and search this swamp in minutes?" Sokka asked.

"Not a good idea here" Kal El said. "This terrain will slow me down, this is a huge swamp, and I may end up not being able to find you guys again. We should stick together until we find Appa."

Night quickly came and they still hadn't found Appa. Since only Kal El could see in the dark they decided to make camp. Katara couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched, despite Kal El not seeing anyone. After all four of them had fallen asleep, vines began to wrap around each of them. Everyone was startled awake when the vines pulled them away from the camp in different directions.

Kal El broke free from the vines easily, and when new vines attempted to grab Kal El he used his firevision to burn them into ash. "Aang, Katara, Sokka" he cried out. "Can anyone hear me?"

"_Kal-El"_

Turning towards the voice, Kal El saw a man in a blue suit, red boots, a red cape, and a red S in a diamond shape symbol on his chest. The man wearing it was in his thirties, with graying hair at the temples. And he was hovering in the air without controlling the wind.

"Jor-El" Kal El said.

"_I sent you to this world for a purpose Kal-El, one that you are neglecting and dooming this world to self-destruction. You must act before the humans destroy themselves. You must end their war and show them the correct path before it is too late."_

Jor-El then vanished, leaving Kal El alone in the swamp. Looking through the trees Kal El spotted Katara near a huge tree. When he reached her Aang and Sokka had found Katara as well. "There you guys are" Kal El said.

"I've been looking all over for you" Sokka said.

"Well I've been wandering around looking for you" Katara said.

"I was chasing some girl" Aang said.

"What girl?" Katara asked.

"I don't know" Aang replied. "I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress."

"I thought I saw Mom" Katara admitted.

"Me too" Sokka said.

"I saw Jor-El" Kal El said.

"So is there a reason we were lead here by visions?" Katara asked.

"I think so" Aang said. "I think this giant tree is the center of the swamp."

Suddenly a creature made of vines and plants emerged from the water. It had a wooden mask for a face and began to attack. It grabbed Sokka in its vines and started throwing him around. Aang created a narrow blast of wind to cut the vines holding Sokka, dropping him into the water. Kal El followed with his firevision, slowly burning away the plant material. The creature repaired itself by gathering more plants and vines to replace what was burned away. Katara threw water at the creature, damaging parts of it. Through one of the holes Katara made Kal El saw flesh inside it. With his eyes briefly glowing blue Kal El looked through the vines and saw a short round man inside, bending the vines.

"There's a person inside that thing" Kal El shouted. "Katara, Aang, cut it open."

Katara formed the water into sharp blades and threw them at the creature. Aang shaped the wind into similar blades and threw them into the creature as well. Together they damaged the vines faster than they could be replaced. The creature fell into pieces revealing the man inside.

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang asked.

"Wait, I didn't call you here" the man said.

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land" Aang explained.

"He's the Avatar, stuff like that happens to us a lot" Sokka said.

"The Avatar, come with me" the man said. As they walked the man introduced himself as Huu and how he protects the swamp. He also explained how the swamp is a mystical place and how he reached enlightenment under the massive tree in the center of the swamp. Huu shared his view of the world, how the swamp is simply one massive tree spread over miles, and how everything in the world is connected.

"You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We're all living together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

_Except me_ Kal El thought looking away from Huu. _My roots are gone, the tree is burned down, the branch is growing in unfamiliar soil._

"What did our visions mean?" Katara asked.

"In the swamp we see vision of people we've lost, people we loved. Folks we think are gone, but the swamp tells us their not, we're still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death."

"But what about my vision? It was someone I have never met." Aang asked.

"You're the Avatar, you tell me" Huu said.

"Time is an illusion, so it's someone I will meet." Aang guessed.

"As fascinating as this is, we still need to find Appa" Kal El said.

"I think I know how" Aang said. He put his hand on the tree and concentrated, letting the swamp show the way. Aang saw Appa being attacked by the locals. They didn't have any time to lose.

Once the group reached the locals they had a quick fight over Appa. However once each side saw the other had waterbenders everyone stopped fighting and the locals let Appa go. To show there were no hard feelings everyone got together for dinner. The group would leave the swamp in the morning and resume their search for Aang's earthbending teacher.

_A/N: Since Yue didn't become the moon, Sokka had to see someone else in the swamp. His mom was the most likely person for Sokka to see._


	23. The Blind Bandit

_A/N: In case the chapter title didn't give it away, I'm skipping Avatar Day. It was a filler episode and the villagers' behavior in it makes me want to have Kal El burn Chin Village to the ground. Since that would be out of character I'm just going to avoid that episode altogether. Moving on..._

Chapter 23: The Blind Bandit

In their search for an earthbending teacher, the group had traveled to Gaoling. The town had no strategic benefits to the Fire Nation so Kal El suggested it as the most likely place to find a suitable master earthbender. While wandering the city Sokka spotted a fancy green bag in the marketplace and decided to buy it. While purchasing the bag a stranger approached Aang and gave him a coupon to the local earthbending academy.

Aang went to the academy to see if this master Yu would be a good teacher. Aang didn't learn anything there and decided Yu was definitely the wrong teacher. Outside Aang overheard two students talking about an earthbending tournament.

"Excuse me but where is this earthbending tournament?" Aang asked the students.

"It's on the island of none'ya" one of them said. "None'ya business." Then they walked away laughing.

"I'll deal with this" Kal El said. He then blurred in front of the students, grabbed their shirts, lifted them up, and jumped fifty feet into the air. With the two of them screaming for their lives Kal El landed safely and dropped the students. "Now where was that tournament again?"

"It's Earth Rumble VI and it's literally underground. The main entrance is right outside the mountains north of Gaoling. You can't miss it. Now please don't hurt us!"

"Thank you." Kal El said as he let the students go.

That evening everyone traveled to the tournament, getting front row seats in the arena. They watched the first fight between The Boulder and The Hippo, and Sokka became an instant fan of The Boulder. Several fights later Kal El got bored, as The Boulder was winning without difficulty each time. _This has to be faked_ he thought.

All too soon the championship fight began between The Boulder and The Blind Bandit. Kal El was curious how a little girl managed to become champion, so he was actually paying attention.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl."

"Sounds to me like your scared Boulder" The Blind Bandit replied.

"The Boulder is over his conflicted feels, and is now he's ready to bury you in a rockalanch."

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble." The girl said and laughing.

The Boulder began to charge at the girl, but on his first step the girl sent the earth his foot stepped on over to the side, splitting his legs apart. She followed with several columns of earth which launched The Boulder out of the ring, winning the fight.

"Your winner, and still champion, The Blind Bandit!" the announcer said. Then he jumped down to the ring and said "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering this sack of gold pieces to anyone that can defeat The Blind Bandit." Immediately Kal El jumped out of his seat and landed in the ring.

"I'll try it" Kal El said. _Let's see just how she sees_ he thought. The announcer leapt out of the ring and started the exhibition match.

Kal El walked forward and felt the earth move under his feet. As the rock came up Kal El jumped to the side, but when he touched the ground it split apart under him. Grabbing the side of the newly formed crevice he threw himself out of it and landed on the other side of the ring. As he landed columns of earth formed in front on him and moved to hit him. He let them strike, breaking into rubble and Kal El dusted himself off.

"Someone's awfully dense" The Blind Bandit said. "What's your fighting name? The Man of Metal?"

The Blind Bandit then raised the earth on opposite sides of Kal El and slammed them together. Then the combined earth was forced apart by Kal El's strength. He then jumped fifty feet into the air and on the way down he punched the ground, shaking the whole ring and leaving a small crater in the center. With the girl distracted Kal El ran ahead, just slow enough to not blur his features, and hit the girl before she could react. The force of the blow sent her out of the ring, but was not enough to hurt her.

The crowd cheered for their new champion. Aang tried to confront The Blind Bandit but she wouldn't listen as she left. Sokka grabbed the championship belt and the bag of gold pieces. With The Blind Bandit gone the group decided to turn in for the night.

The next day everyone went back to the earthbending academy to search for the girl. Present there were the two students from the day before. When they saw Kal El approach both of them dropped to the ground and kneeled before Kal El.

"Please don't kill us oh powerful champion" they said together.

"I'm not here to kill you" Kal El said. "We just need information on The Blind Bandit."

"The Blind Bandit is a mystery" one student said. "She shows up to fight, then disappears. No one knows who she is or why she fights."

"Maybe we're asking about the wrong person" Aang said. "In my vision I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anyone like that?"

"The flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family, but they don't have a daughter" the student said.

"Good enough lead for me" Kal El said.

A half hour later they reached the Bei Fong estate, but there were guards patrolling the entire estate. Since Aang couldn't sneak in they decided to ask for entrance at the front gate. However the guards wouldn't let them inside. "Sorry but only Healer Isana is allowed to see the Bei Fongs, no one else gets inside."

"I'm the Avatar" Aang said. "I need to see them."

"Sorry kid, but we're not allowed to let you in. You can leave a message and we'll see that the Bei Fongs receive it. I'm certain that once he knows who you are he'll let you in."

Walking away Aang asked "I wonder how we're going to get in?" Turning around he only saw Katara and Sokka with him. "Kal did that super-speed thing of his again didn't he?"

"I wish I could do that" Sokka said.

Kal El had blurred over to the other side of the Bei Fong estate and jumped over the walls. Blurring past all the guards Kal El got inside the building. After spending a few seconds searching at super-speed he found the room the Bei Fongs were in. Listening at the door Kal El overhead them talking to someone inside. Looking through the wall he saw a woman with gray hair looking over a man on the bed, with another woman holding his hand.

"How bad is it Healer Isana?" The woman inside asked.

"I'm sorry… Lao Bei Fong, you have City Sickness." Isana said.

"Are you certain?" Lao asked. Before he could continue he started coughing and couldn't stop for half a minute. Kal El saw Lao cough up a few drops of blood. "I thought City Sickness only happens in Ba Sing Se."

"I thought so too, but you have all the symptoms. "Your frequent coughing fits, weakening strength, weak pain in your limbs, early hair loss" Isana described.

"Is there a cure?" the woman asked.

"I'm afraid not Poppy Bei Fong" Isana said. "Even with regular healing sessions City Sickness is fatal. At best Lao has five years, if he has daily healing and doesn't exert himself."

"But how could I get this disease?" Lao asked. "We've never been anywhere near Ba Sing Se to catch it."

"Did you purchase anything that might have been made in Ba Sing Se?" Isana asked.

"Only my belt and Toph's necklace' Lao said. "But that was years ago and Toph hasn't gotten sick."

"Perhaps I should examine Toph for early warning signs of the disease" Isana asked. "Just to be safe."

"Ok, she's outside near the garden" Poppy said.

Having heard where the girl Toph was Kal El blurred outside to see her. When he stopped ten feet behind her the ground moved up, launching Kal El into the air. Landing on his feet Kal El saw that Toph was wearing a white dress and a necklace with a green stone.

"How did you get in here Metalman?" she asked.

"How did you know it was me?" Kal El asked. Walking towards Toph he suddenly felt weak. His skin felt like it was on fire. _Is this __**pain? **_He thought. Kal El fell to his knees unable to stand. "How are you doing this?" he asked.

_His heart rate just went through the roof. _ Toph thought. "I'm not doing anything" she said. She took a few steps towards Kal El and he fell over to the side, the pain intensifying. _What's wrong with him?_

Looking up Kal El saw that the necklace Toph wore was glowing bright green. "Your necklace…" He said. Toph took it off and held it towards Kal El and the pain increased, Kal El could barely move. "The necklace is causing this" Kal El said weakly. Toph then tossed the necklace behind her and the pain disappeared, letting him stand up.

"Ok what exactly are you?" Toph asked. "No one normal falls over next to unbendable rocks, you're way too dense for someone your size, and your heartbeat is all wrong."

"Ok I'm actually from another planet sent here to escape it blowing up" Kal El said with a straight face.

"Right… and I'm the Queen of Ba Sing Se." Toph said. _I can't tell if he's lying _she thought.

"Well with your level of earthbending, you could probably take that title." Kal El joked. "Seriously though, how do you see without using your eyes?"

"I see with earthbending" Toph explained. "I feel the vibrations in the earth and I can see where everything is."

"I assume your parents don't know?" Kal El asked.

"They're too overprotective because they think I'm helpless." Toph said. "I don't know what they would do if they knew."

"Your talents are being wasted because of them" Kal El said. "If you want you can come with me. The Avatar needs an earthbending teacher and I can't think of anyone better than you."

"That would be nice, but I can't leave" Toph said. "My Dad is sick and I need to help Mom take care of him."

"I overhead your parents talking to a healer about that" Kal El said. "She said he still has a few years, and I'm only asking you to leave until this summer's end. By then the Avatar will have either won and you can return home, or he will have lost and a sickness will be the least of your Dad's worries."

"I'll think about it" Toph said.

"If you choose to help, I'm certain you can find me." Kal El said. Then he blurred away.

That night Kal El couldn't sleep. Everyone else had already gone to bed, but he couldn't stop thinking about Toph's necklace. For the first time something truly scared him. _Something that can _hurt _me _he thought. _If Azula ever discovers that I'm a dead man._ With sleep not coming Kal El took a walk outside the camp. _But _how_ does that necklace hurt me? I didn't even touch it._ Suddenly Kal El felt weak again, but still able to stand.

"Hard to believe a small stone can bring down the Metalman" Toph said. She was holding her necklace just within range to affect Kal El. "Funny how this little rock doesn't respond to earthbending."

"If you've decided to come with us, please leave that behind" Kal El asked. "And can we please keep that stone a secret between us?"

"Sure" Toph said. She made a hole in the ground with earthbending and buried the necklace, its effects vanishing as it went underground. "Using that on you would be cheating anyway. By the way you didn't tell me your name."

"I'm Kal El, the bald kid in camp is Aang, the girl is Katara, and the other boy is Sokka. We better get some sleep before leaving in the morning."

_A/N: Healer Isana was based on the character from Codex Alera by Jim Butcher, which is a series all Avatar fans should read. It is Avatar mixed with Romans, Wolfmen/Klingons, and Starcraft. And it is awesome._


	24. The Chase

Chapter 24: The Chase

The next morning Kal El made the introductions between Toph and everyone else. Everyone got to know each other over a day of flying away from Gaoling. True to her word Toph had kept her green rock necklace a secret, not revealing that it could hurt Kal El. That evening Appa landed near a river, and started shedding.

"Right spring" Kal El said. "The time of the year all furry animals make a giant mess." Then Appa sneezed, sending fur everywhere. The fur got into everything, including Kal El's nose, prompting a sneeze.

"ACHOO!"

A massive burst of wind erupted from Kal El, sending fur into the air. Sokka was caught in the wind and was thrown back twenty feet. Getting up Sokka yelled "Since when do you super-sneeze?"

"That's a new one for me" Kal El said. "Come to think about it, I've never actually sneezed before in my life."

"You're joking" Katara said.

"No, in fact I've never gotten sick either" Kal El said. "Not even a common cold."

"Now this is getting ridiculous" Sokka said. Counting on his fingers he said "You're stronger, faster, nearly invulnerable, shoot crazy eye fire, can see through walls, blow wind like a tornado, and don't get sick. Is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"I can't bend the elements" Kal El replied. "Does that count for anything?"

"To someone like me that can't do that either, no it doesn't" Sokka said. "It's really starting to make me feel useless around here."

"Hey why don't _you_ just go beat the Fire Lord?" Toph asked. "You seem to be powerful enough for it."

"Toph, if I did it a civil war would happen." Kal El said. "Only the Avatar beating the Fire Lord would prevent that."

"Whatever" Toph said.

That night Katara and Toph had an argument over sharing chores. Toph would only handle what she needed, claiming to be carrying her own weight. With the argument going nowhere Katara went to sleep, everyone else following her.

While everyone slept, Toph felt faint vibrations in the earth. She woke up everyone else, saying "There's something coming towards us." With everyone awake Toph knelt to get a better feel of the vibrations. "It feels like an avalanche, but also not an avalanche."

"Which direction is it coming from?" Kal El asked.

"From the south" Toph responded.

Kal El looked in that direction and his eyes glowed a faint blue, looking through the trees. "Not good, it's a tank train" he said. "I thought those were supposed to go to Ba Sing Se."

"So we should leave, right?" Katara asked.

"Yup, let's put as much distance as we can and see if they follow" Kal El suggested. In a blur Kal El packed everything back onto Appa and within minutes they were in the air. After flying for an hour in the dark they landed. Kal El offered to stay up and watch for the tank train while everyone else got some sleep.

Unfortunately they only got a half hour of sleep. "That thing is back!" Toph yelled, being the first to sense it coming.

"Ok you guys fly ahead" Kal El said. "I'll deal with this." Then Kal El blurred away from the camp towards the tank train. It only took him seconds to reach the tank train and he had a simple plan to disable it. He got directly into its path and let it hit him.

The tip of the plow section immediately crumpled on impact. The rest of the plow section bent around Kal El as his feet dug into the ground. The earth gave way as the tank train tried to push Kal El. Once the plow section failed the engine compartment began to collapse under the strain. The engineer inside bailed out as the walls of the compartment began to close together, almost trapping him inside. The damage spread to the engine itself, breaking it and releasing fire inside the compartment. The released fire found the coal used as fuel, which exploded inside.

The explosion weakened the engine compartment enough to fail completely against Kal El, causing the middle compartment to hit him. By now the tank train was slowed down enough for the force to only leave an imprint of Kal El in the front of the compartment. The tank train finally came to a stop and Kal El climbed out of the wreckage of the engine section. With the tank train stopped Kal El blurred away, following Appa until he landed again.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_A few minutes earlier…_

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were riding inside the tank train, following the trail of fur left by the bison. The plan was to make the beast keep moving until it was exhausted, preventing the Avatar from escaping on it. However they didn't expect the tank train to suddenly stop. The force sent all three of them flying to the front of the compartment, stuck against the front wall while it slowed down. Once the tank train stopped everyone fell to the floor and Azula felt someone touching her.

"Whose hand is that?" Azula asked.

"Sorry!" Ty Lee apologized, taking her hand away. "What could have stopped us so fast?" she asked.

"We won't find out in here" Mai said. She opened the door leading outside and climbed out, followed by Azula and Ty Lee. Walking to the front of the tank train they saw that the engine compartment had been completely destroyed. In the middle compartment they saw a large imprint in the metal, vaguely human shaped.

"Well it would appear that my cousin is still with the Avatar" Azula said. "Get on the mongoose dragons, once we catch up with them leave Kal to me."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Appa had landed near the top a mountain. No one bothered to set up camp as they were all too tired. After a quick argument everyone fell asleep. Kal El stayed up to watch in case anything happened. Everyone managed to get an hour of sleep before Toph was woken up by something new approaching them.

"Feels like three people riding giant lizards" Toph described. "We better go."

"Let's see who they are first" Aang suggested, barely awake. "Who knows, maybe their friendly?"

"I doubt that" Kal El said.

The three people finally came close enough to see in the moonlight. "It's those three girls from Omashu" Katara said.

"You guys go ahead, I'll stop them" Kal El suggested.

"I'm not scared of them" Toph said. She created several obstacles in the path with earthbending. But the mongoose dragons climbed over them like nothing. Annoyed Toph created a wall of earth in the way of the girls, but Azula used lightning to destroy it.

_Lightning? Already?_ Kal El thought. "We can't fight them here" he said. "Let's go." Everyone climbed back onto Appa and flew away. However in half an hour the sun began to rise.

"Aw man" Sokka complained. "We've been up all night with barely any sleep."

Appa was able to fly for an hour before he fell asleep in midair. After barely landing safely Katara and Toph got into another argument. Katara blamed Toph for their lack of sleep, while Toph blamed Appa's shedding for attracting those three girls. Aang yelled at Toph for blaming Appa, prompting her to leave.

"So what should we do now?" Katara asked after Toph left.

"We need to do something about the dangerous ladies chasing us" Sokka suggested.

"Well if Appa's shedding is leaving a trail, we need to do something about that" Kal El said. He took a deep breath and blew at Appa. The force of the wind blew away Appa's old fur on his right side. Kal El then walked over to Appa's left side and blew again, removing more old fur. He repeated this until no more fur would come off Appa.

"Ok now that Appa's clean they shouldn't be able to follow us" Aang said. "Kal and I will make fake trails while you two fly away with Appa."

Aang flew away dropping fur while Kal El blurred away in another direction. After he finished dropping his trail of fur in the woods he waited. In half an hour he saw one mongoose dragon arrive, with Ty Lee riding it. When it stopped she hopped off and walked up to Kal El.

"Figures I'd follow the guy with protected pressure points" Ty Lee complained. "Can we not fight and say we did?"

"Sure" Kal El said. "But why are you working with Azula at all? I thought the circus was your calling."

"Azula called louder" Ty Lee said.

"What if I called even louder than her?" Kal El asked. "You know she can't beat me."

"She's my friend" Ty Lee said.

"A friend that would kill me if she could figure out how" Kal El said. "Do you really want to let her do that?"

"She wouldn't" Ty Lee said. "I know she's a cruel person, but your family to her."

"That means very little to her" Kal El said. "Think about it." Then he blurred away, leaving Ty Lee alone with her thoughts.

Kal El followed Aang's fake trail of fur to an abandoned mining town. When Kal El arrived he saw Aang fighting Azula and Zuko. _Where did he come from?_ Kal El thought. He blurred in and blocked a blue fire attack headed for Aang.

"Well isn't this a family reunion" Azula said. "About time you showed up Kal."

"You should give up now" Kal El said. "You know how this is going to end. Give up while you can still walk away."

"Brave words from someone that ran away all night" Azula said.

"That was to prevent the others from getting caught in the crossfire" Kal El explained. "We both know how much collateral damage we make while fighting."

"Like this!" Azula yelled as she attacked with a wave of blue fire. Kal El blocked with his firevision, the combined heat melting the ground between them.

"Ready for a brand new trick" Kal El asked. He took a deep breath and blew towards Azula, the force sending her into the air. Kal El then blurred behind Azula and tossed her back into the town. Landing on her feet Azula formed a blue fire whip and attacked Kal El with it. He simply dodged each strike and blurred around Azula spinning her around. Disoriented Azula sent blue fire in all directions. Kal El blocked but the fire hit one of the nearby buildings, setting it on fire.

Kal El tried to put the fire out with his breath, but knocked down the building in the process. While he did this Azula hit him in the back with blue fire. Kal El's shirt got burned and his back appeared sunburned, but it quickly healed. _Enough of this_ Kal El thought and he blurred behind Azula, grabbed her and spun at high speed before throwing her. Azula hit the wall of a building and fell to the ground.

Meanwhile Aang had been fighting with Zuko. Since Aang was tired the fight was evenly matched. Their fight had knocked over another old building, the debris trapping Aang inside. Zuko was about to capture Aang when Katara and Sokka arrived on a very tired Appa. They had dealt with Mai together and flew back to help Aang. Katara used her waterbending to distract Zuko while Sokka freed Aang from the debris.

Azula got up from where Kal El had thrown her. She was sore from the impact and tried to move to a better position when the earth under her moved, knocking her to the ground. Looking to where the earthbending had come from Azula saw Toph standing with a smile on her face.

"Glad to see you Toph" Kal El said. "If you don't mind I'll deal with Azula."

Outnumbered and outmatched, Azula tried to flee, but ran into Iroh who had been following Zuko. Everyone else closed in on Azula, cornering her. "Magnificent" she said. "Enemies and traitors all working together."

"You can't even beat me Azula" Kal El said. "You don't stand a chance against all seven of us."

"True, but there is one last thing I wanted to try" Azula said. "Are you invulnerable to this?" Moving her arms Azula charged a lightning blast. Kal El walked forward to take the blast, but Azula didn't fire at him. She fired at _Sokka_.

Time slowed down for Kal El, watching the lightning move through the air. _This is going to be close _he thought as he began to move at super-speed. The lightning was about to hit Sokka when Kal El reached him. Kal El pushed Sokka out of the way, but was still in contact with him when the lightning struck Kal El.

Unable to put up his guard the lightning struck Kal El in his chest. The lightning entered his body, saturating it with energy. Kal El could feel the lightning passing through him, causing pain where it traveled. Then the lightning moved up his arms and out his hands, which were still pushing Sokka out of the way. As the lightning left Kal El felt his strength slipping away, and he fell into unconsciousness.

In response to Azula's lightning Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Iroh all attacked Azula with their respective elements, but she blocked with a blue fire shield. The combined elements exploded, sending debris throughout the town, setting the whole thing on fire. In the smoke Azula escaped to fight another day.

Kal El and Sokka were lying on the ground, both out cold from Azula's lightning. Iroh was the first to Kal El's side, tending to his son. There was a burn on his chest from the lightning, and it wasn't healing. _I can't lose you too _Iroh thought. Katara tried to get to Kal El to heal him, but Zuko got in the way.

"Kal's staying with his family, leave!" Zuko yelled.

"Zuko I can heal him" Katara said.

"LEAVE!" Zuko yelled throwing fire at her. Iroh picked up Kal El and walked away with Zuko. Katara and Aang picked up Sokka and they left on Appa to find a place to finally get some sleep.

_A/N: Saying it now: Lightning does whatever the writer wants it to do._


	25. Mortal

Chapter 25: Mortal

Kal El woke up a few days later inside a crumbling house. His chest was bandaged and his shirt was missing. He tried to get up, but felt pain in his chest. "What happened?" he wondered out loud.

"Azula hit you with lightning" Zuko said. "It would have killed anyone else."

Kal El tried to get up again, but his hand pressed against a sharp piece of wood. "OW" he cried out. He looked at his hand. _I'm __**bleeding**__?_ He thought. His fingers had been cut by the wood and blood was slowly flowing.

"Drink this son" Iroh said as he handed Kal El some tea. "It will help you heal."

"Thank you" Kal El said, taking the tea. Drinking it Kal El felt the pain in his chest weaken. "Do you have any idea why I'm taking so long to heal?"

"Lightning can do some very nasty things to a person" Iroh said. "It may have been more than even you can handle."

"Maybe I'll feel better with some rest" Kal El said.

"That would be wise" Iroh said.

Kal El slept for several hours. During that time Iroh attempted to teach Zuko how to generate lightning, for when he would eventually face Azula again. However every attempt to create lightning would blow up in Zuko's face. One of the explosions woke up Kal El.

After getting up Kal El slowly walked outside the house. He watched as Zuko tried again to create lightning, only to fail again. Walking forward Kal El's foot hit a hard rock, and tripped. _Something is very wrong with me_ he throught.

"You're awake" Iroh said. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Something's wrong father" Kal El said. He then punched the ground, only to cause pain in his hand. "My abilities are gone."

"For now perhaps" Iroh said. "But maybe they will return when you heal."

"But what if they don't" Kal El said. "What if Azula finds me in this condition. She'll kill me."

"Then you will have to find new ways to deal with her" Iroh suggested. "Perhaps a unique technique I know that Azula doesn't, because I made it up myself. Zuko! You should learn this too."

Outside Iroh explained the nature of the four elements to Kal El and Zuko, showing how it is wise to draw knowledge from all of them instead of just one. Iroh explained how he studied waterbenders and created the technique that can redirect lightning.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it" Iroh explained. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. From the stomach, you direct it up again and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly.

"And this will work even if I'm not a firebender?" Kal El asked.

"Yes, everyone regardless of bending ability possesses chi to use in this technique" Iroh explained. "Now we will practice the motion, and feel the flow of energy in your body."

Until sunset they practiced the technique. Zuko felt his chi flowing first. Kal El's injury slowed him down, but he felt his chi flow eventually. After Iroh declared that they mastered it Zuko wanted to try it with real lightning. Iroh refused to let him, saying that it was too dangerous. Zuko left to find natural lightning to practice with while Iroh and Kal El went to sleep.

Zuko came back during the night and woke up Kal El. With Iroh still asleep Zuko wanted a private conversation.

"Why did you do it?" Zuko asked. "Why did you free The Avatar? We could have been home by now."

"It was the right thing to do" Kal El said.

"You know I need The Avatar to restore my honor" Zuko said.

"At what price?" Kal El asked. "You've lost everything trying to capture him. Your ship, your crew, everything but the clothes on your back, just because your father said you don't have honor. He wants you dead Zuko. Your sister wants _me_ dead. Even if you capture Aang you would only be thrown in prison and Azula would take the credit for capturing him."

"I still have to try" Zuko said.

"It isn't worth it" Kal El said. "Let Aang defeat your father and Azula. The people will turn a blind eye to your banishment and let you go home."

The two days later Iroh judged Kal El as fit to travel, so they and Zuko all got on the ostrich-horse and headed west. The plan was to head deep into the Earth Kingdom where Azula wouldn't be able to follow them. Iroh had given Kal El earth kingdom clothing to wear for the trip, since his old shirt was too damaged from the fight with Azula.

While traveling they were intercepted by the Rough Rhinos. Iroh recognized them, even calling Colonel Mongke by name. Iroh even mentioned they are a good singing group. When the Rough Rhinos attacked Iroh and Zuko easily dispatched them.

"Do you know anyone that won't try to kill us?" Zuko asked as they left.

Iroh lead Zuko and Kal El to a small town next to a desert. The trip took a few days, but in that time Kal El's injury had nearly healed. Once in the town they entered the local bar. Inside Iroh spotted a Pai Sho table.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked the old man at the table.

"The guest has the first move" the old man replied. Iroh placed a White Lotus Tile in the center of the board. "I see you favor the White Lotus Gambit, not many still cling to the ancient ways."

Those who do can always find a friend" Iroh responded.

"Then let us play" The old man said. Then both players placed their tiles and formed a lotus shape on the board. "Welcome, Brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are you two talking about?" Kal El asked.

"Pai Sho is more than just a game" Iroh said.

The old man led everyone to a warehouse near the bar. Once inside he locked the door to prevent eavesdropping. "It is an honor to welcome such a high ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a grandmaster you must know so many secrets."

The old man led Iroh into a back room, leaving Zuko and Kal El outside. Iroh explained that entry to that room was members only and that they would have to wait outside.

"I wish I would still see through walls" Kal El complained.

"Since when could you do that?" Zuko asked.

"Not long after the North Pole I got stuck inside an unstable cave" Kal El said. "I couldn't see in the dark and somehow I began to see through the walls and didn't need any light."

"And that ability is gone too?" Zuko asked.

"All of them are gone" Kal El said. "As far as I can tell I am just as weak as any non-bender now."

"Here" Zuko said. He handed a small dagger to Kal El. "Something until you get your abilities back."

There was writing on the dagger, _Never Give Up Without a Fight. _Kal El smiled and said "Thanks Zuko. You're like the brother I never had."

Several hours passed and Zuko and Kal El quickly got bored waiting for Iroh. To pass the time Zuko helped Kal El practice with the dagger. Inside the locked room Iroh came up with the plan to head for Ba Sing Se. No one would notice three additional refugees and his contacts would provide forged passports. Once inside Ba Sing Se they would hide in plain sight.

"You're going to need a different name to use there, son" Iroh said.

"What are you using?" Kal El asked.

"Mushi, and Zuko is using Lee" Iroh said. "Perhaps we could call you Clark?"

"Where did you get that from?" Kal El asked.

"My wife wanted to give our first son that name" Iroh admitted, tears coming to his eyes. "I still miss them both."


	26. SuperSokka

Chapter 26: SuperSokka

Sokka was the first to wake up the morning after battling Azula. He couldn't remember exactly what happened after they cornered her, but that didn't seem to matter. Everyone was safe and Sokka felt better than ever.

While everyone else continued to sleep Sokka took a slow walk, taking in the sun's light. _Who knew a good night's sleep could make you feel this good_ he thought. In the distance Sokka spotted a small saber-tooth moose-lion eating some grass. Sokka took out his boomerang and threw it at the little critter. The boomerang cleanly cut through its neck and got stuck in the ground behind it.

_Well that was easy_ Sokka thought. He walked over to retrieve the boomerang when he heard Katara calling for him.

"There you are, you had me worried sick" Katara yelled.

"Is something wrong?" Sokka asked.

"Something wrong? Sokka you nearly got hit by lightning" Katara explained. "What am I supposed to think when you just disappear after something like that?"

"Wait _lightning_, I don't remember that happening" Sokka said.

"Kal pushed you out of the way and you were both out cold after it" Katara said.

"Speaking of Kal where is he?" Sokka asked.

"Zuko and his uncle wouldn't let us take him" Katara explained. "Zuko said he was family and that they should take care of his injury."

"Kal, the invulnerable Kal was injured?" Sokka said.

"Even he has limits Sokka" Katara said. "Now let's get back to camp, Aang starts his earthbending lessons today."

"Okay Katara, race you there" Sokka said. Suddenly Sokka disappeared in a blur towards camp, leaving behind a shocked Katara.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sokka screamed at high speed. _Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! _He thought. But it was too late, he ran into a rock face. On the other side Aang and Toph were startled when Sokka burst out of the rock and fell to the ground, leaving an impression on the earth.

"Smooth" Toph said.

"What just happened here?" Aang asked, staring at the hole Sokka made in the rock.

"I have no idea" Sokka said. "It all happened so fast."

"Fast huh" Toph said. "Catch" she said as she earthbended a large boulder out of the ground and threw it at Sokka. Not thinking Sokka tried to block with his arms and the boulder shattered on impact with him. "Ok who are you and what have you done with Sokka" Toph accused.

"Hey it's still me and something really weird is going on here" Sokka said. "And not the kind of weird we normally have."

"Sokka did you… _run_ through the rock?" Aang asked.

"Apparently I did and didn't feel a thing doing it" Sokka said.

"I have an idea" Toph said. With earthbending she created a wide column of rock next to her. "Lift this, now!"

"I'm not going to like where this is going am I?" Sokka asked. He grabbed the bottom of the column and lifted. The column instantly broke away from the ground and thanks to Sokka's poor grip the column was sent flying into the distance.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile a humble merchant was selling his produce. It was a good day until a column of rock fell from the sky and smashed his produce. A scream of "MY CABBAGES" could be heard from miles away.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"Please tell me that rock was hollow" Sokka asked.

"Nope, you just tossed a solid column of stone several miles" Toph said.

"Ok, _how_ did I just do that?" Sokka asked.

"Well we all know one other person capable of that" Aang said.

"Yea Kal, but that still doesn't explain how _I_ am doing this" Sokka said.

"Well he was hit by lightning, so maybe that did something?" Aang suggested.

"So guy with powers plus lightning equals two guys with powers" Sokka said. "Sure, why not?"

"If you guys are done talking we've got earthbending to do" Toph interrupted. "Have Katara figure you out while I deal with Aang."

"Okay, have fun throwing rocks" Sokka said.

Throughout the day Aang struggled with earthbending. It was the opposite of Aang's natural element of air. Toph resorted to taking Aang's staff to get him to stand his ground. It took an attack from an angry mother saber-tooth moose-lion to force Aang into the earthbender mindset. After the attack Aang could earthbend.

Meanwhile Sokka tried to get the hang of his new abilities. However each time he tried to run at high speed he would overrun the distance and hit something, usually breaking whatever he ran into. He also kept breaking anything he tried to use his new strength on. Fortunately none of the accidents hurt anyone.

After a few days of training Aang decided everyone needed a break. He came up with the idea of mini-vacations, and Aang spent his playing with singing gophers. Sokka complained about forgetting to ask Kal El for a map of the Fire Nation, but was ignored as Katara chose to go to the Misty Palms Oasis.

While the oasis was in poor condition, it still had a decent bar. Inside it Sokka spotted the bartender making a tasty looking beverage, and wanted one. However the man with the drink bumped into Aang, spilling his drink over Aang's shirt. Aang cleaned himself with airbending, and the stranger was amazed.

"An Air Nomad, right in front of me" he said. "I'm Professor Zei of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."

Before the professor could continue he was interrupted by the sound of an ice bowl shattering. "Oh come on" Sokka complained. The bowl his drink was in had shattered in his hands, leaving a fruity mess behind.

"Hey professor" Katara asked. "Do you happen to have a current map? Ours is out of date."

"Certainly" Zei said. He unrolled his map on a table and Katara examined it while Sokka ordered another drink. Unfortunately there was nothing on the Fire Nation on the map.

Examining the map, Katara said "You've made a lot of trips into the desert."

"All in vain I'm afraid" Zei said. "I've been trying to find Wan Shi Tong's library. I know it's somewhere in this desert but it's just too large to search properly."

"I don't suppose this library would have a map of the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked, while being careful to not break his drink again.

"I wouldn't know" Zei admitted. "But if it exists, it's in that library."

"Then it's settled" Sokka said. "Aang I believe it's my turn. I would like to spend my vacation at the library."

"There's still the matter of finding it" Zei said. "I've made several trips into the desert and nearly died each time. It's impossible to search on foot."

"Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?" Sokka asked.

Within minutes everyone was on Appa and in the air. After hours of searching and a false alarm from Toph, they still hadn't found the library. Sokka spotted a tower sticking out of the sand and they landed to investigate it. On the ground everyone saw a fox climb up the side and entered the tower.

"I think this is the library" Sokka said. "It's completely buried." Looking at the sand Sokka's eyes started to glow a light blue, and he looked through the sand. _So that's what Kal sees with that trick _he thought. "It's still intact."

"You just did Kal's seeing through stuff thing, right?" Aang asked.

"Yup" Sokka admitted. "Well let's climb up to the window the fox used and go in."

"I say you go ahead without me" Toph said. "Books don't exactly do it for me."

Leaving Toph and Appa outside everyone else climbed up the tower. Using a long rope they climbed down the inside and entered the library. Once inside they heard feathers rustling nearby and hid behind some stone columns.

A giant owl walked into the room and saw the rope that was used to enter the library. The owl turned its head around, staring at where everyone was hiding. _"I know your back there"_

Professor Zei walked out of the hiding place and introduced himself to the owl. After a thinly veiled threat against the professor Sokka walked forward. "Are you the spirit that brought this library to the physical world?" he asked.

"_Indeed, I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things, and you are obviously humans. Which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study."_

"What do you have against humans?" Aang asked.

"_Humans only bother learning things to get the edge on other humans. Like that firebender who came here two years ago, seeking to destroy his enemies. So who are you trying to destroy?"_

"Actually I need some help _not_ destroying things" Sokka said. "A few days ago a friend of ours had his abilities copied and given to me, and I keep breaking things on accident."

"_What kind of abilities?"_

"High strength, speed, invulnerability, that sort of thing" Sokka explained.

"_A Traveler's abilities, in the hands of a human, that is very bad. Come with me, your friends may enjoy the library."_

Wan Shi Tong led Sokka to the lowest level of the library. Aang and the others stayed above, browsing the vast collection of books and scrolls. At the bottom of the library Wan Shi Tong stopped in front of a large door. Above the door was a red S in a diamond symbol.

"_This room is where I keep the severely limited information on the Travelers. If there is anything that can help with your problem, it is in here."_

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are the Travelers?" Sokka asked.

"_The Travelers were an enlightened race who visited this world many times in the past. Despite their vast power they never came to conquer this world. They merely judged whether or not humans were ready to know about them. Unlike humans, they deserved my respect."_

"Do you know what happened to them?"

"_Sadly their world is no more. A tragedy the likes of which will never be known again. So much knowledge was lost with their passing."_

Wan Shi Tong opened the door and entered with Sokka. There were only a dozen scrolls, three books, and a small metal octagon inside. "That's it?" Sokka asked.

"_The Travelers were very careful to keep their existence secret from humans. Very few individuals were contacted by them and fewer of them wrote about their experiences."_

"It will have to do I guess" Sokka said.

It took Sokka half an hour to read through the books. Most of the writing was personal journals of people who met Travelers. One book caught Sokka's attention. It described how Yan-El journeyed to the spirit world and banished Koh the Face Stealer with the help of Avatar Fong. It also described how Yan-El built a fortress in the north, guarded by a perpetual blizzard to keep humans away.

Looking through the scrolls Sokka saw one with a drawing of the metal octagon. The scroll described that it had been found near Ba Sing Se a few years ago, but nothing else. Having read everything in the room Sokka pocketed the metal octagon, wanting to show it to Kal El later. Sokka walked back to where the others were looking through books. Aang was looking at a picture of a lion-turtle when Sokka arrived. "Find anything useful?" Sokka asked.

"Not really, how about you?" Aang asked.

"The owl didn't have anything helpful" Sokka lied, not wanting the spirit or the foxes to know he took the metal octagon.

"Sokka come look at this" Katara said. She was looking at a piece of parchment in a glass case. "The darkest day in Fire Nation history, there's a date on it but nothing else."

"This could be promising" Sokka wondered aloud. He removed the parchment and left to find the Fire Nation section of the library with the others following him. However once they reached that section they discovered that everything in it was burned down. Fortunately one of the foxes heard that they wanted to know what happened on the darkest day and led them to a different room.

The fox opened the door and showed the planetarium. Once everyone was inside the fox activated the mechanism inside showing how it worked. Katara entered the date from the parchment and the room showed that a solar eclipse happened on that day.

"Of course" Sokka said. "Firebenders must lose their power during a solar eclipse."

"But how does that help us now?" Katara asked. "We don't know when one is coming."

"If this machine shows when previous eclipses happened, maybe it can show future ones?" Aang wondered.

"Good idea Aang" Sokka said. "Let's put in dates one by one until the day Sozin's Comet arrives. If one doesn't happen by then we'll need another plan."

After half an hour of using the machine it finally showed when the next solar eclipse will happen. It was only a few months away, in the middle of summer. "All we have to do is invade the Fire Nation on this date and the war will be over" Sokka declared.

"_Mortals are so predictable, and such terrible liars. From the beginning you intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes."_

"You don't understand" Sokka said. "If anyone is evil it's the Fire Nation. We need this information."

"_You think you are the first to believe their war was justified? Countless others before you have claimed just wars, most from both sides."_

"Please, we're just desperate to protect the people we love" Aang said.

"_And now I will protect what I love."_ Wan Shi Tong started to flap his wings and the library began to sink into the sand. _"I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again."_

"We have to get out of here" Katara yelled.

"_I cannot allow that. You already know too much."_ The spirit then morphed into a monstrous form and attacked.

Sokka jumped and tackled the spirit, knocking it to the ground. Sokka kept the spirit busy while everyone else ran towards the exit.

"_This is why it is bad for humans to possess the abilities of a Traveler."_

Using its wing the spirit tossed Sokka off him. The spirit attempted to claw at Sokka with its talons, but Sokka grabbed them and threw the spirit across the library. Sokka followed with another tackle, pushing the spirit into a wall. Then with a punch to the spirit's head Sokka knocked it out. With Wan Shi Tong out cold Sokka ran back to the entrance, following Aang and Katara out of the library. Professor Zei stayed behind, despite Sokka's protest.

Once outside the library the entrance finally sank beneath the sand. However Appa was nowhere to be found and Toph was crying.

"Where's Appa?" Aang asked. Toph couldn't answer him.


	27. The Desert

Chapter 27: The Desert

"How could you let them take Appa, why didn't you stop them?" Aang shouted.

"I couldn't" Toph said. "The library was sinking, you guys were still inside."

"You didn't care about Appa!" Aang accused. "You never liked him and wanted him gone."

"Aang calm down" Sokka said. "We need to focus on getting out of here."

"I'm going after Appa" Aang said. Then he flew away on his glider.

Everyone else started walking in the direction Aang flew in. Within the hour Katara and Toph were getting dehydrated. Even Sokka was getting thirsty, despite having Kal El's invulnerability. Katara had to ration the water she carried, but that didn't stop Sokka from complaining about it having been used in the swamp. Then Sokka spotted a cactus.

Sokka walked up to the cactus and cut it open, drinking the fluids inside. His stomach felt weird, as if it were trying to break down the juice in his stomach. Suddenly his eyes turned red and fire emerged from them. The sand in front of Sokka for half a mile was melted into glass. When his eyes stopped releasing fire Sokka said "On second thought, maybe cactus juice isn't good for you."

After the incident with the cactus juice everyone walked until sunset. Aang returned then with no sign of Appa. As the sun went down Katara decided everyone should get a few hours of sleep before moving on. When they got moving again in the night Toph tripped over a buried sand sailer. Aang used airbending to blow away the sand covering the sailer and everyone got on it.

By having Aang create a strong wind to propel the sailer they reached a mountain in the center of the desert by sunrise. Toph was happy to be back on solid ground. Once they reached the top of the mountain they were attacked by buzzard-wasps. Aang used airbending to knock them out of the air while Sokka used firevision to burn them.

Everyone ran back down the mountain, dealing with the buzzard-wasps as they went. Katara had to guide Toph's attacks, being unable to see things in the air. When they reached the bottom the sand all around them erupted into the air, scaring away the buzzard-wasps. When the sand settled Katara saw sandbenders around them.

The leader of the sandbenders stepped forward and asked "What are you doing in our land with a sandbender sailer? From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe."

"We found the sailer abandoned in the desert" Katara explained. "We're traveling with the Avatar. Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se."

"The leader's son interrupted with "you dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer."

Whispering to her friends Toph said "I recognize the son's voice. He's the one that stole Appa."

"Are you sure?" Katara asked.

"I never forget a voice" Toph explained.

"You stole Appa!" Aang accused the leader's son. "Where is he, what did you do to him?"

"They're lying" the son said. "They're the thieves."

Aang destroyed one of the sailers with airbending. "Where is my bison? Tell me where he is now!" Then Aang destroyed another sailer.

"What did you do?" the leader asked his son.

"It wasn't me?" the son tried to deny.

"You said to put a muzzle on him" Toph said.

"You muzzled Appa!" Aang yelled. Then his eyes and tattoos started to glow and Aang destroyed another sailer.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it belonged to the Avatar" The son apologized.

"**Tell Me Where Appa Is!"**

"I traded him to some merchants" the son said. "He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now. They were going to sell him there. Please we'll escort you out of the desert. We'll help however we can."

"Just run!" Sokka yelled. Then a sandstorm began to swirl around Aang. The sandbenders fled for their lives. Sokka shielded Toph from the swirling sands while Katara walked up to Aang. When she placed he hand in Aang's he calmed down and the sandstorm ended.

Sokka negotiated with the sandbenders, and they led the way out of the desert. Throughout the trip Katara tried to comfort Aang, who still hurt inside about losing Appa. Once they were out of the desert the leader of the sandbenders gave them an up to date map of the Earth Kingdom, to help guide their way to Ba Sing Se.

_A/N: I know short chapter. I didn't really want to change the episode much, and I'm really just getting it out of the way. Next chapter will be better._


	28. The Serpent's Pass

Chapter 28: The Serpent's Pass

After exiting the desert, everyone stopped at the nearest lake to wash away all of the sand that accumulated in various parts of them. Sokka used the time to plan how they would reach Ba Sing Se. According to their map the only way to get there by land was to take the Serpent's Pass. Right when they were about to leave three travelers walked in on them.

"Hello there, fellow refugees" the man in the group said. He was followed by a pregnant woman and a younger one, likely his daughter.

"Are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang asked.

"Yes. We are trying to get there before my wife Yin has her baby" the man said.

"Great" Katara said. "We can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."

"The Serpent's Pass" Yin said. "Only the most desperate take that deadly route."

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay" the man said. "Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se. And it's hidden from the Fire Nation."

"Full Moon Bay it is then" Sokka said.

With their destination chosen everyone journeyed to Full Moon Bay. Earthbenders at the entrance opened the secret passageway letting them inside. The place was crowded with refugees, all seeking a ride on the ferries. However there weren't any ferries docked at the moment.

An old woman was handling the new refugees. "How many times must I say it today? The ferries are closed."

"Excuse me" Aang said. "Why are the ferries closed?"

"I'll say it one more time, there is an outbreak of City Sickness in Ba Sing Se and the government doesn't want it spreading. So they aren't allowing the ferries to come back here until the outbreak is contained."

"I was afraid this might happen" Yin said.

"Do outbreaks happen often?" Sokka asked.

"Once a year at least" Yin's husband said. "Who knows how long we could be stuck here."

"Looks like you will have to take the Serpent's Pass." Everyone turned towards the new voice and saw a young boy with brown hair wearing red and blue clothing, chewing on a piece of wheat.

"Jet!" Katara yelled and then she immediately waterbended and trapped Jet in ice. "What are you doing here?"

"Relax Katara, I'm just seeking a new life like everyone else here" Jet explained. "I've given up the freedom fighter thing."

"How long has it been since the last ferry left?" Sokka asked.

"A few weeks ago and there's no sign of them coming back anytime soon" Jet said.

"Katara let him go" Sokka asked.

"Why, after what he did…" Katara said.

"I know but if the Serpent's Pass really is dangerous we could use the extra help" Sokka explained.

"Fine" Katara said, releasing Jet. "But I'll be watching you Jet."

"Ok then, I'll round up the friends I've made here and meet you at the pass in a few hours" Jet said.

While Aang and the others were walking away Sokka was stopped by a woman in a security uniform. After a brief misunderstanding Sokka recognized her as Suki. She and the other Kyoshi Warriors had come here to help the refugees, and now Suki wanted to help Sokka get the others through the Serpent's Pass.

The journey to the pass only took a few hours. When they arrived they saw Jet standing there alone.

"What happened to those friends you mentioned?" Sokka asked.

"They're coming" Jet said. "Smellerbee and Longshot had to take care of some business. Mushi, Lee, and Clark will be here in a few minutes."

Toph felt them coming first, and recognized all of them. Whispering to Aang she said "It's Kal and the others from the abandoned town."

"Zuko" Aang said. Before Aang could do anything he saw Zuko, Iroh, and Kal El walk into sight. He saw Zuko recognize Aang and prepared to attack, but was stopped by Kal El.

"We can't afford to be exposed here" Kal El whispered to Zuko. "Just act like we don't know them." Turning towards Aang Kal El said "Hello, I'm Clark, this is my cousin Lee and my father Mushi. Jet told us that you would help us get through the Serpent's Pass.

"We're just waiting for Smellerbee and Longshot" Jet said. "They will be here soon."

Within ten minutes Jet's friends arrived and everyone entered the pass. The path was narrow which forced them to walk in single file. To the west everyone saw a Fire Nation ship patrolling the water. The ground beneath Iroh broke under his weight and he began to fall, but was saved by Toph. However the falling rocks alerted the Fire Nation ship nearby, and they started to attack.

The ship launched a fireball at the pass, which Aang deflected back towards the ship. A second fireball hit the rocks above them, sending rubble down onto the path. They were about to hit Zuko when Kal El tackled him, getting both of them out of the way.

"Thanks… Clark" Zuko said.

Whispering Kal El said "At least I can still do something around here."

Aang quickly disabled the Fire Nation ship, preventing it from attacking again. With the danger over everyone continued along the pass. By evening they were halfway through it and found a suitable place to camp for the night.

Sokka walked over to Kal El. "Can we talk in private? I need to show you something." he asked. They put some distance between themselves and the campsite. Sokka released fire from his eyes and aimed it down towards the water.

"How did you do that?" Kal El asked.

"That incident with the lighting somehow copied your abilities and gave them to me" Sokka explained.

"Sokka, my abilities are _gone_" Kal El said.

"Wait, so the lightning transferred you abilities instead of copying?" Sokka asked.

"We have to find a way to transfer them back" Kal El said.

"I think lightning is the key, but it's not like any of us can just throw it around." Sokka said.

"Father knows how to create lightning" Kal El said. "Once we're through this pass we can recreate what happened before."

"Sounds like a plan" Sokka said. "We better get back to camp."

Meanwhile Aang was standing alone, watching the horizon. He didn't see Zuko walk up behind him. "So what happened to your bison?" Zuko asked.

"He's gone" Aang said. "I suppose that's good news for you, now that it's harder for me to evade you."

"You may not believe this Avatar, but I don't care anymore" Zuko said. "Even if I capture you now it won't do me any good. Azula would take the credit and I would rot in a dungeon."

"You've given up on reclaiming your honor?" Aang asked.

"I still care about it, but it's not worth dying for" Zuko said.

While they talked Toph was having a private conversation with Iroh. "So who came up with Mushi, Lee, and Clark?" she asked.

"Well my nephew chose Lee because there are thousands of Lee's" Iroh explained. "Mushi was something he made up while panicking. I gave my son Clark, it's a simple name and likely won't be noticed."

"Simple usually works" Toph said. "We should talk more often once we reach Ba Sing Se."

"I would enjoy that" Iroh admitted.

Sokka returned to the camp, and was confronted by Suki. She had noticed that Sokka was being distant from her during the trip through the pass, and wanted to know why. Sokka told her about Yue at the North Pole, and didn't know who to form a relationship with. They agreed to wait until the war was over before trying anything.

The next morning everyone resumed their travel down the pass. They were making good time until the path dropped below the waterline. A section of the pass was underwater, the distance too far to swim. Katara and Aang used their waterbending to move the water out of the way, revealing the path. Everyone bundled together as the waterbending formed an air bubble around them, allowing them to walk across the underwater section of the pass.

Halfway across a sea serpent broke the air bubble, flooding it with water. Before anyone could drown Toph used earthbending to lift them all out of the water on a column of stone. The sea serpent emerged from the water and roared at everyone on the little island. The serpent tried to attack but Aang deflected its head with a windblast.

Aang took the air to distract the sea serpent. Katara froze the water between the island and the far end of the pass. Longshot fired several arrows at the serpent, but they all bounced off its scales. Jet, Smellerbee, and Suki escorted Yin and the other refugees across the ice while Iroh and Zuko guarded the rear. Sokka ran on the water to help Aang. Taking Toph's hand Kal El guided Toph across the ice.

When everyone was across Katara surfed across the water with her bending. With Aang's help she created a large whirlpool around the sea serpent, spinning it around. Sokka blurred back and forth across the whirlpool, hitting the serpent with each pass. The serpent lost control of its movement and its head slammed against the side of the pass, knocking it out.

With the serpent dealt with Katara, Aang, and Sokka returned to the others. A few hours later everyone reached the end of the pass. However before anyone could celebrate Yin went into labor. Katara and Iroh helped deliver the baby. Luckily there weren't any complications and the baby was born healthy. Yin chose to name the baby Hope.

After the birth Aang flew off to find Appa. He flew past the crumbling old wall and landed on the new wall. However before Aang could enter the city he spotted a massive machine heading towards the new wall. It was a giant drill.

"Appa will have to wait."


	29. The Drill

Chapter 29: The Drill

Aang returned to his friends before they expected him. He told everyone about the massive drill he saw heading towards the wall. Everyone hurried to the wall to let Toph and Aang earthbend them up it. Once they reached the top Aang showed them the drill. Smellerbee and Longshot escorted the refugees into the city while everyone else stayed behind.

Aang introduced himself as the Avatar to the nearest soldiers, who led them to General Sung. The general claimed to have the situation under control. "I assure you Avatar, the wall is impenetrable" Sung stated. "It took a force of nature to bring down the old wall, and the new wall is even stronger than the old wall."

"That doesn't matter when the Fire Nation has a giant drill ready to form a metal tunnel through the wall" Kal El said.

"That's why I sent an elite platoon of earthbenders to disable the drill" Sung explained. "I sent the Terra Team."

"That's a good team name" Sokka said. "Very catchy."

Everyone watched as the Terra Team attacked the drill. They created stone columns that pushed against the drill, attempting to slow it down. Then the Terra Team was ambushed by two girls that exited the drill. One girl threw various knives at the earthbenders, while the other attacked with her fists. Within minutes the entire Terra Team was disabled by the two girls.

"Maybe you would like the Avatar's help now?" Toph asked.

"Yes please" Sung asked nicely.

"So how are we going to stop that thing?" Jet asked.

"We have to get inside it" Kal El said. "If we can damage enough of its internal components the drill will overheat. That will either stop the drill or force it to slow down, buying more time."

"How do you know that?" Sokka said.

"I stumbled across the schematics a while back" Kal El explained. Looking at Jet he said "They were in a Fire Nation barracks I help raid once. At the time I didn't think they would actually build the thing, it looked far too expensive."

"Let's get moving then" Toph said.

Zuko pulled Aang aside for a private conversation. "I'm coming with you Avatar. I'm certain Azula will be in that drill and I don't want her to have the satisfaction of taking Ba Sing Se."

"Just don't try anything stupid" Aang said.

Half an hour later everyone was in position in front of the drill. Toph used earthbending to create a dust cloud to hide their approach. When they reached the front of the drill Toph made a tunnel which led to the underside of the drill. Once everyone was through it Sokka spotted a hatch leading inside. Everyone but Toph climbed inside. Since Toph wouldn't be able to earthbend inside the drill she stayed outside to slow it down.

"Okay everyone" Kal El said. "Start breaking pipes or any moving parts you can see. Katara, Aang, you two waterbend any steam away from us."

Jet and Zuko got to work breaking things with their weapons. Sokka ran down the hallways, smashing everything he came across. Aang and Katara bended all the water that flowed out of broken pipes and used it to break more of the machinery. Kal El and Iroh dealt with the guards that came across them. They destroyed as much machinery as they could before they stumbled across the main support braces.

"Hey, if we break these the whole structure will come crashing down" Jet said.

"This is going to take a while" Kal El said. "Jet, you go stand guard outside the door and let us know when anyone shows up."

"Okay" Jet said, walking back through the door.

Once Jet was out of earshot Kal El explained his plan. "Zuko, father, you two take the braces furthest from the door and melt them. Aang, Katara, cut through the closest braces with waterbending. Sokka, you and me will deal with the rest."

Everyone took their positions next to different braces. Iroh and Zuko released streams of fire at a brace from opposite sides, quickly melting through it. Aang and Katara slowly cut through their brace. Kal El helped Sokka apply his super-strength properly to breaking another brace, tearing the metal instead of hitting it. Half of the braces were broken when Jet came back in.

"Guys, there's three serious looking girls headed our way" Jet said. Then blue fire entered the room behind Jet and he barely had time to duck under it.

"Scatter" Kal El yelled. Everyone ran to the nearest door leading to the interior section of the drill splitting everyone into three groups. Mai chased after Iroh and Zuko, Ty Lee ran after Katara, Aang, and Jet, and Azula pursued Sokka and Kal El.

Kal El led the way through the drill while Sokka destroyed more pipes and machinery. He knew this was leaving a trail, but the steam that burst out of broken pipes would slow down Azula. When they reached the top Kal El saw that the drill made contact with the wall. The part of the drill wearing away the rock was slowly turning red hot from the friction and restricted cooling. But it wasn't heating up fast enough.

"Sokka, use firevision to overheat that drill" Kal El said.

As Sokka ran towards the front of the drill Azula climbed on top of the drill. She threw blue fire at Kal El who had to dodge it.

"So not even lightning can keep you down" Azula said.

"I have to admit, it hurt a lot" Kal El said.

Azula made several more blue fireblasts, which Kal El barely dodged each one. "Something wrong Kal?" Azula asked. "You don't seem to be at the top of your game."

"You hit me with lightning, cut a guy a little slack" Kal El replied. He pulled out the dagger that Zuko gave him and threw it at Azula. The dagger hit Azula's leg and left a deep cut in her thigh.

"That hurt! Let's find out what happens when lightning strikes twice" Azula yelled. She created two walls of blue fire along the edges of the drill to prevent Kal El from dodging. Then she charged a lightning blast and fired it at Kal El.

Smiling Kal El caught the lightning in his right arm. Using the redirection technique Iroh taught, Kal El guided the lightning into his stomach. Holding it there for a moment Kal El shouted "Sokka Catch!" Then Kal El guided the lightning up and out his left arm, firing it behind him.

Sokka was slowly overheating the drill. The operator had noticed the temperature going up and slowed down the drill for safety. Then Sokka heard Kal El shouting and he immediately blurred into the area behind Kal El. Seeing Kal El send lightning behind him Sokka caught it in both hands. Sokka felt the lightning enter his body, causing pain where it travelled.

_This better work_ Kal El thought as he ran up to Sokka. Kal El could see that Sokka was in pain from holding the lightning inside him. As soon as Kal El reached Sokka he grabbed Sokka's arm and reused the redirection technique. Pulling the lightning out of Sokka's body Kal El released it into the sky. As the lightning flowed through Kal El again he felt more energy flowing with it, _his_ energy. That energy stayed within Kal El and didn't leave with the lightning.

When the lightning was fully redirected Sokka fell to his knees. Kal El felt new strength surge within him and he jumped. The force sent him far higher than the wall and when Kal El came back down he impacted the drill, leaving a massive dent in the top.

"I'm Back!" he shouted. Then Kal El blurred towards Azula, picking her up. In seconds he dropped Azula on the ground behind the drill and blurred back to Sokka. Kal El carried Sokka to the top of the wall, letting the nearest medic examine him. Then he blurred back inside the drill and evacuated everyone in it within minutes.

With no one left inside the drill Kal El blurred through the entire structure, destroying everything in his path. He destroyed all of the water pipes, all of the gears, every source of power, everything he could find until the drill came to a halt. The drill had just barely tunneled through the wall when it stopped moving. For good measure Kal El destroyed the remaining support braces, ensuring that the drill would have to be dismantled instead of repaired.

With the drill finally stopped everyone on the wall celebrated. Iroh and Zuko used the celebrations to enter the city unnoticed. Katara helped the medics treat Sokka and he was back on his feet by nightfall. Aang, Toph, Jet, and Kal El enjoyed themselves in the celebrations throughout the night.

The next day they would enter Ba Sing Se.

_A/N: You may be wondering why Sokka didn't do what I had Kal El do at the end. Sokka would probably kill everyone that he would attempt to blur out of the drill, not knowing how to safely pick up people at that speed. Up next we find out how Ba Sing Se has changed since it became the meteor capital of the world._


	30. A King's Request

Chapter 30: A King's Request

In the morning Aang, Kal El, Sokka, Toph, Katara, and Jet all boarded a train which brought them to the inner wall. Throughout the ride Jet tried to flirt with Katara several times before she threatened to freeze him into his seat. Meanwhile Kal El told everyone to refer to him by his alias 'Clark', even in private just in case anyone was eavesdropping on them. It was the name he had given to the Earth Kingdom officials and didn't want anyone recognizing Kal El as the name of the Fire Lord's nephew.

The inner wall wasn't far from the outer wall. The disaster which destroyed the old outer wall had forced the city to rebuild their main defense closer to the main city, shortening the distance between the walls. Now only a mere five miles separated the two walls. The land between the walls was used almost entirely for agriculture to keep the people in the city fed.

Inside the inner wall the train stopped at the station and everyone exited the train. They were greeted by a woman with a perpetual smile on her face.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been given a great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Toph, Jet, and Clark. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

"Yes, we have information vital to the war effort the king has to see immediately" Sokka explained.

"Great! Let's begin our tour. Then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you will like it" Joo Dee said.

Everyone entered a small cart pulled by ostrich-horses. It took them through the lower ring and everyone looked at the city. Most of the people were going about their daily business, but every couple of blocks they would see over a dozen people very sick and being herded away by city guards.

"What's affecting those people?" Katara said.

"Those people carry City Sickness" Joo Dee said. "It is unfortunate you had to arrive during an outbreak of the disease. Everyone that catches it is isolated from the healthy population to prevent the disease from spreading."

"Isn't there something that can be done for them?" Jet asked.

"Sadly there is no known treatment" Joo Dee said. "Only isolation keeps the disease in check."

Within the hour the cart reached the middle ring. While the area was cleaner and healthier than the lower ring, but even here there were sick people within view of the cart. Only this time there were guards escorting the sick away from their homes and shops, taking them to isolated areas.

"Has the outbreak spread through the entire city?" Kal El asked.

"Of course not" Joo Dee said. "Only the lower and middle rings are affected. The upper ring is quite safe from the disease."

By noon the cart had reached the upper ring and arrived at the house everyone would be staying at. Joo Dee showed them the interior of the house. With the tour over Joo Dee left to attend other matters.

"It's about time she left" Toph said.

"She was starting to get on my nerves" Sokka said.

"Did anyone else find it strange how she never stopped smiling?" Kal El asked.

"Yea, it's like she was putting on an act" Aang said.

The conversation was interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Jet opened the door and found Joo Dee standing there. "Back already? What do you want now?" Jet asked.

"This is unexpected" Joo Dee said. Pulling out a scroll she read "Avatar Aang, the Earth King requests your presence in the palace, immediately. You're very lucky, it normally takes a month to get an audience."

"Well that was easy" Sokka said.

"We haven't seen him yet" Kal El said. "Don't jinx it."

Everyone immediately walked to the palace in the center of the upper ring. The palace guards let them inside the building, but stopped them just outside the throne room's big fancy doors.

"The Earth King has ordered that only Avatar Aang will be allowed inside" the guard said. "The rest of you will have to wait out here."

Aang entered the throne room alone. Inside he saw a thin man in yellow and green robes sitting on the throne, wearing a fancy hat and small glasses.

"Avatar Aang, I am King Kuei. It is an honor to finally meet you."

"The honor is mine, you majesty" Aang said with a bow."

"Please call me Kuei, Aang. I only wish we could have met under better circumstances. As you must already know, there is an outbreak of City Sickness in this city."

"I'm told that the outbreak is under control" Aang said.

"Unfortunately that is a lie to keep the people from panicking" Kuei said. "For years now the disease has afflicted my people. Normally only a small section of the population falls ill, and the disease is contained. But this outbreak has spread throughout the city, most of the old population in the lower ring has the disease and many in the middle ring are afflicted as well."

"I had no idea it was that bad" Aang admitted.

"It's even worse" Kuei admitted. "Not only have we been unable to find a cure, we can't even identify how the disease is spread. It's not in the air, or the water, or our food, or even skin contact. It strikes at random and each outbreak is worse than the last."

"Who caught the disease first?" Aang asked.

"The Dai Li, which ruined their ability to manage the city, forcing me to take a more active role" Kuei explained. "At first the outbreaks were limited to their members and the disease was associated with them. Then the civilian population caught the disease."

"So what makes you think I can help here?" Aang asked.

"We have tried all that we can to deal with the disease" Kuei said. "As an Air Nomad you have a different perspective than we do. A new set of eyes, unclouded by previous failures, could be the key to ending the disease."

"I'll do what I can" Aang said.

"Thank you" Kuei said. "If we do not find a cure for this disease soon, my city will fall long before the Fire Nation breaches the wall."

"About the Fire Nation" Aang said. "We know when a solar eclipse is coming that will leave the Fire Nation helpless. It is the only opportunity we have to end the war. I need your help to do it."

"I'm sorry Aang, but I can't invade another nation while my people are dying in their own homes" Kuei said. "But if you find a cure for the disease I will grant your request."

Aang bowed before King Kuei and left the throne room. Outside he found the others and together they found a private room to talk about the king's request.

"So what did the king say?" Sokka asked.

"He's not going to invade the Fire Nation" Aang said.

"Why?" Jet asked.

"He wants us to deal with the disease in this city first" Aang explained. "It's a lot worse than what we saw coming here."

"What can he expect us to do about a disease affecting most of the city?" Kal El asked.

"He's tried everything he can think of. He thinks we can try things he would never think of" Aang said.

"So where do we start?" Toph asked.

"We should find where they take the sick people, try to find something common between them?" Katara suggested.

Aang asked the nearest palace guard where the people with City Sickness are held. He directed them to three main facilities, one for each ring of the city. Splitting up Aang and Jet went to the facility in the lower ring, Katara and Sokka went to the facility in the middle ring, and Kal El and Toph went to the facility in the upper ring.

Toph and Kal El were escorted inside the facility by the guards. On the beds were over a dozen Dai Li agents, all in various stages of the disease. Some had very high fevers while others were coughing up blood. A few were very pale and unconscious, breathing their last breaths.

One of the doctors walked up to Toph and Kal El, an old man with a receding hairline. "As you can see, this disease is a terrible way to die. The first symptoms are sudden weariness, loss of endurance and strength, and weakened bending ability. These symptoms are followed by fevers, blood loss, and constant pain. When the patient turns very pale and loses consciousness, they usually have only hours left before death."

"How long do people usually have when they fall sick?" Toph asked.

"If the disease is discovered early, they have several years if they don't exert themselves" the doctor said. "If the disease isn't spotted the patient only has months."

"Have you found anything that can extend their time?" Kal El asked.

"I'm afraid not" the doctor admitted. "Some patients get worse faster than others, we have no idea why that happens."

"Do you mind if we talk to the patients?" Toph asked.

"Just be brief" the doctor said. Then the doctor left to deal with patients elsewhere.

Kal El walked into the room with the Dai Li patients. Suddenly severe pain shot through him and he fell to the floor. "Clark!" Toph screamed. Toph grabbed his legs and dragged him out of the room. The pain ended and Kal El stood up.

"Toph, are there any… unbendable rocks in that room?" Kal El asked. Toph slammed her foot into the floor, getting a good picture of the building and the ground beneath it.

"There's a big one right underneath the floor, and more nearby, but further underground."

Kal El stared at the floor, seeing through it. As the floor and the earth faded away Kal El saw a mass of green obscuring his vision, preventing him from seeing further.

"We better let Aang know about this" Kal El suggested. "We might be onto something here."

Kal El picked up Toph and blurred out of the upper ring. Kal El looked through the ground in front of him, avoiding any green spots in his vision. They were roughly twenty feet apart from each other, and Kal El had to make a beeline to avoid them on the way to lower ring. While most were likely too far underground to affect Kal El he didn't want to take any chances while carrying Toph.

Stopping in front of the lower ring facility, Kal El put Toph down. She immediately tripped, disoriented by traveling at super-speed. "Warn me before doing that again" she said. Regaining her balance Toph walked into the facility with Kal El.

This facility was completely different from the one in the upper ring. Over a hundred patients were lying on the dirt floor, most crying out in pain. A handful people were already dead and no one had gotten around to removing the bodies. Many of the patients appeared to be burned, but by someone that wasn't fire.

Aang and Jet were busy trying to ease the suffering of many patients. But even they knew they were only delaying the inevitable. These people were dying, and they couldn't stop it.

Kal El walked up to Aang. Whispering Kal El said "Toph and I have a lead, but I think we should talk about it back at the house."

"Ok, I didn't learn anything useful here anyway" Aang admitted.

"If you don't mind" Jet said. "I'm going to find Smellerbee and Longshot. Get them to help down here."

Aang flew back to the upper ring on his glider. Kal El politely asked Toph if he could carry her again, and then blurred with Toph back to the house. Aang arrived shortly after Kal El and Toph.

"So what did you two find?" Aang asked.

"I think it's best if we wait for Katara and Sokka to get back" Kal El said.

"Don't worry" Toph said. "They're almost here."

The front door opened and Katara and Sokka walked in. "I'm afraid we couldn't find anything… Clark!"

Kal El had fallen to the floor in pain. Realizing what was happening Toph earthbended the floor under Katara and Sokka, sending them out the door. Kal El stood up and stepped away from the door.

"What was that for?" Katara yelled while coming back inside.

"Katara, did you take anything green from the middle ring?" Kal El asked.

"Only these jade earrings" Katara said as she removed them from her pocket. The earrings had green stones carved in the same design as Katara's necklace.

"That isn't jade" Kal El said. "Katara, those stones and others like it are poison to me."

"Wait" Sokka said. "You're invulnerable and green rocks can stop you just by being nearby?"

"It's worse than that Sokka" Kal El said. "I don't want to test it, but I think if I'm near one of those rocks too long it could kill me."

"So what should we do with these" Katara said holding up the earrings.

"Have Toph bury them as far underground as possible" Kal El said.

"On it" Toph said. She immediately opened a hole in the floor leading beneath the bedrock. Katara dropped the earrings down the hole and Toph closed it.

"With that taken care of" Aang said. "You said you had a lead on the cause of the disease?"

"I think the green rocks are the source of the disease" Kal El said. "If they can hurt me they may be harming anyone that is near them."

"That would explain why the disease doesn't spread from person to person" Sokka said.

"But we still don't know _how_ they hurt people" Katara said. "If we knew that it could help find a cure."

"I have an idea" Kal El said. "Aang, we have to go North."


	31. Back to the Fortress

Chapter 31: Back to the Fortress

During the night Kal El and Aang left Ba Sing Se. Outside the outer wall Aang tied a thirty foot long rope to the front end of his glider. Kal El tied the other end of the rope around his waist. Aang was carrying three green rocks in his pockets and kept his distance from Kal El. When Aang was ready Kal El ran north, slowly accelerating while Aang airbended himself off the ground.

Using the rope Kal El towed Aang on his glider at super-speed. Aang focused on keeping the glider off the ground as they moved. Anyone that spotted them only saw a brown and green blur immediately followed by a yellow and orange blur.

The sun began to rise when they reached the northern seas. Kal El ran over the water and within minutes reached icebergs. Running past the Northern Water Tribe Kal El continued north, entering a blizzard in the North Pole. Passing through the blizzard Kal El spotted his destination. The Fortress of Solitude.

Once the crystalline structure was in sight Kal El untied his end of the rope and moved to the side, allowing Aang to gradually glide to a stop. "That was insane!" Aang said.

"You get used to it after a while" Kal El admitted. He walked up to the door to the Fortress and placed his hand on it. A red S in a diamond shape symbol appeared on the door and it opened.

"_Welcome Kal-El."_

"I still find it strange how this building can talk" Aang said. He waited for Kal El to enter the Fortress before walking towards the door. After Aang entered the door closed. Suddenly the lights turned red and an alarm went off.

"_Alert: Kryptonite Detected. Initiating Safety Protocol."_

A beam of light swept over Aang and he vanished. "Fortress, where is the Avatar?" Kal El asked.

"_Avatar has been transported to Decontamination."_

"Send me there now" Kal El ordered.

"_Unable to comply. That action would place Kal-El in danger."_

"Then send me to the closest safe place" Kal El said.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

A beam of light swept over Kal El, sending him to another chamber. It was the size of the house he stayed at in Ba Sing Se, with a glass wall dividing the center. Aang was on the other side of the glass, the entire room bathed in red light. "Fortress, let him out!" Kal El ordered.

"_Unable to comply. Avatar is carrying Kryptonite."_

"Aang, put the green rocks on the floor" Kal El said.

"Ok" Aang said. Reaching into his pockets Aang removed the three green rocks and placed them in the center of his side of the chamber. After backing away from the green rocks Aang was transported to Kal El's side of the chamber. Blue light shined over Aang for a few seconds.

"_Cellular damage at 0.0003%. Health risk negligible."_

Confused, Aang said "What does that mean?"

"_In humans, Kryptonite radiation damages the body on a cellular level. Sufficient exposure over time causes human cells to break down, eventually leading to death. You're current exposure is insufficient to cause health problems."_

"What exactly is radiation?" Kal El asked.

"_Radiation is energy that passes through space and interacts with matter. Most forms of radiation are harmless to organic life. Radiation from Kryptonite breaks down organic matter, at rates depending on the species. In humans the rate is very slow and years of exposure are required for significant damage. In kryptonians the rate is very fast and sufficient exposure will cause death."_

"Well I think we now know what City Sickness really is" Kal El said.

"But where did this Kryptonite come from?" Aang asked.

"_Kryptonite is an element found primarily in Krypton's planetary core."_

"Then how did it get here?" Kal El asked.

"_Insufficient data to provide answer."_

"Is there a cure for the effects of Kryptonite?" Aang asked.

"_The technology required doesn't exist on this world yet."_

"Okay, what's the recommended way to deal with Kryptonite?" Kal El asked.

"_Remove it from any population centers. Store it deep underground or behind a meter of solid lead."_

"So underground it is then" Kal El said. "We should tell the Earth King about this. At least we can prevent more people from getting sick."

"I don't suppose this Fortress can transport us there?" Aang asked.

"Let's find out" Kal El said. "Fortress, transport us to Ba Sing Se."

"_Unable to comply. Ba Sing Se is outside transporter range."_

"Then send us to the closest possible location" Kal El ordered.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

A beam of light swept over Aang and Kal El and they vanished. They reappeared on the northern coast of the Earth Kingdom, near the mountains north-west of Ba Sing Se. From there Kal El carried Aang and blurred back to the city. Aside from their friends no one knew they had even left the city. Kal El stopped in front of a tea shop in the lower ring and set Aang down.

"What are we doing here?" Aang asked.

"Sokka is probably still asleep and I'm in the mood for tea" Kal El said. He also needed answers from his father, who was employed at this tea shop.

The tea shop had just opened for the morning customers. Kal El opened the door and walked inside. Aang was surprised to see Zuko waiting tables.

"Hey Lee, is Mushi around?" Kal El asked.

"He's in the back making today's special blend. I'm sure he also has a pot of your favorite brewing back there" Zuko said.

"Thanks" Kal El said. He walked into the back room of the tea shop, finding Iroh busy brewing. "Hi" he said, startling Iroh.

"You shouldn't sneak up on an old man like that" Iroh said. "Especially when he is making a popular blend of tea for the morning customers. By the way would you like a cup of tea, earl grey was your favorite last time I made it for you."

"It still is" Kal El said. "Can we talk about something important over a cup?"

"Sure, just a moment" Iroh said. He called for Zuko to take over brewing while Iroh served tea to his son. "Now what did you want to talk about?"

"You found me near Ba Sing Se, right?" Kal El asked.

"Yes I did" Iroh answered.

"Did anything… follow me here?" Kal El asked.

Iroh sighed, as he knew this question would come eventually. "Clark, the day I found you, was the day my first son was killed in a meteor shower" Iroh said. "The sky rained fire that day at Ba Sing Se, destroying the old wall and taking countless lives on both sides of the war. After the smoke cleared I found a strange object, with you sleeping inside it."

"So that object brought me to this world, and the meteor shower was caught in its wake" Kal El said. "Then the people are getting sick here, because of me."

"Do not blame yourself, son" Iroh said. "You had no control over those events. What you can control is how you deal with it."

"Ok" Kal El said. "What happened to that object you found me in anyway?"

"I left it behind" Iroh explained. "It would have raised questions about where you came from."

"Do you think it is still where you left it?" Kal El asked.

"Unlikely. Someone would have found it by now and taken it" Iroh said.

"Well I doubt whoever did would be able to use it" Kal El said. "Thanks for the tea."

Kal El and Iroh walked back into the main area of the tea shop. Aang was talking with a young girl drinking jasmine tea. Aang could tell she had a crush on Zuko and was telling her all the good things he knew about Zuko.

"Jin, you should ask him out" Aang suggested. "I'm certain Lee would enjoy it just as much as you would."

"There's a good restaurant in the middle ring" Jin said. "That would be the perfect place to go with him."

"Well go for it" Aang said.

Interrupting, Kal El said "I think Sokka will have woken up by now, we better get back to the house."

Outside the tea shop Kal El and Aang walked into a dark alley. When no one could see them Kal El picked up Aang and blurred back to the house in the upper ring. Inside they found everyone getting ready for the new day.

"So what did you find out at your clubhouse?" Toph asked.

"Well the Fortress calls the green rocks 'Kryptonite', which explains why earthbending doesn't work on it" Kal El said. "They aren't made of Earth, they're made of Krypton."

"So how did pieces of you old home get here?" Sokka asked.

"Whatever brought me here must have dragged the Kryptonite with it" Kal El explained. "Father found me near Ba Sing Se and the Kryptonite fell to Earth in a meteor shower."

"So how is the Kryptonite causing the disease here?" Katara asked.

"The Fortress said that it releases harmful energy, but that years of it are needed for it to harm humans" Aang said. "If we can get the Earth King to remove all of it from the city it will stop new people from getting sick."

"What about a cure?" Katara asked.

"Well the energy harms the body's cells" Kal El said. "So maybe if you focus your healing ability on the small details instead of the symptoms it would help them better."

"Well then let's tell the Earth King" Aang said.

_A/N: The heavy exposition in this chapter was unavoidable. The people in the Avatar world have no concept of radiation whatsoever, and would need to be told exactly what it is. It would take far too long for them to figure it out on their own so I just had the Fortress explain it. With that out of the way the plot can resume in the next chapter._


	32. Enter Long Feng

Chapter 32: Enter Long Feng

At noon Aang and Kal El traveled to the palace. The guards let them enter when Aang mentioned he had an answer for the king's request. However when they reached the throne room, King Kuei wasn't there. A different man was standing in front of Kuei's throne. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline was waiting for them to arrive.

"You must be the Avatar and his friend Clark" he said. "I am Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se."

"Where is the Earth King?" Kal El asked.

"I'm afraid he is rather busy today dealing with matters of state" Long Feng said. "The Dai Li saw you arrive and I decided to pass on whatever message you have for the Earth King."

"Well in that case we found what was causing the disease in the city" Aang said.

"I'm listening" Long Feng said.

"The meteor shower that destroyed the old wall carried strange green rocks with it" Kal El explained. "They slowly release energy which is harmful to living beings. Over years of exposure the damage accumulates, causing the symptoms of the disease and eventually death."

"Interesting" Long Feng said. "So if we remove the green rocks no one else will get the disease."

"Exactly" Aang said.

"Very well, I will pass this information on to the Earth King" Long Feng said. "I will also have the Dai Li begin relocating the green rocks immediately. Where would you recommend as a safe place to store them?"

"Anywhere deep underground where no one will accidentally come near them" Kal El said.

"I know just the place" Long Feng said. "The catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, no one ever goes down there anymore."

"Perfect, we'll be going now" Aang said.

Kal El and Aang were escorted out of the palace by the guards. By the time they got back to the house they could already see Dai Li agents mobilizing. Using earthbending they located and removed Kryptonite with surprising efficiency. Within hours the upper ring had been cleared of all Kryptonite near the surface.

"So what should we do now?" Kal El asked.

"I'm looking for Appa" Aang said. Unfolding his glider Aang took to the air. _I put this off way too long_ he thought.

Alone Kal El blurred to the upper ring facility for City Sickness. Katara had gone there to try a new healing technique, hoping it would have a more permanent effect. Inside he found Katara kneeling over a tub of water, with a sick Dai Li agent in it. The water in the tub was glowing as Katara used her healing ability on the agent. When she stopped the agent slowly climbed out of the water.

"How are you feeling?" Katara asked him.

"Much better, though still weak" the agent described.

"Take it easy for the next few days and tell the doctors if anything happens" Katara said. She got up and walked over towards Kal El. "How did it go with the Earth King?"

"He was busy so we talked to someone else there" Kal El explained. "He's already got the Dai Li removing the green rocks. So how's the healing going?"

"Better than before" Katara said. "It's not enough to fully cure them but I think it will give them a few more years. I've already sent a messenger bird to the North Pole asking for more experienced healers to try the new approach here. By the way where did Aang go?"

"He took off looking for Appa" Kal El said. "I would help but it's not safe for me to be running around with the Dai Li extracting the green rocks everywhere."

"Speaking of Appa this morning I paid a printer to make 'missing bison' posters" Katara said. "He said he would be done by this evening and we can put them up tomorrow."

"Great, I'll let Sokka and Toph know" Kal El said. Then he left the facility and walked back to the house, carefully avoiding the working Dai Li. He told Sokka and Toph about what happened today and the plan for tomorrow. However no one had anything planned for the afternoon.

Bored, Kal El said "Hey Toph, you doing anything tonight?"

"I got nothing to do" she said.

"Well I saw a poster for an earthbending tournament in the middle ring" Kal El said. "Sounds like it would be fun for The Blind Bandit."

"Yes it does" Toph said, smiling. "They'll never know what hit them."

Kal El and Toph walked down to the middle ring. Kal El filled out the required forms to let Toph fight in the tournament. The arena was larger than the one in Gaoling and the stands were actual seats instead of stone ledges. Dai Li were stationed around the ring to divert thrown rocks away from the audience, allowing people to safely watch the fights up close.

As a late entry, Toph was in the last fight of the first round. Surprisingly, her first opponent was The Boulder. He forfeited the fight when he saw Toph enter the ring. It was less embarrassing than the last time he fought Toph. This also sparked interest from the audience, who wondered why a big muscular man would run from a little girl.

Most of Toph's other fights went by quickly. None of her opponents realized how she could anticipate every move they were going to make. The crowd loved seeing the little blind girl beat all the big guys easily. It was just like the Gaoling audience, only bigger and louder. She even impressed the Dai Li watching the fights, and they sent a message to their leader Long Feng.

When Long Feng received the message about Toph's fights he was intrigued. He immediately left for the tournament and arrived in time to watch the final match, The Blind Bandit versus The Tectonic Titan. Toph's opponent was a woman in her mid twenties with dark brown hair and a muscular frame.

"I'm glad you're here kid" Titan said. "For something considered a men's sport it's very satisfying to see another girl in the finals. Being blind and underage makes this hilarious."

"Yea, we sure showed them" Toph replied.

"We should meet up after the match" Titan said. "Once I win."

"Bring it on" Toph said back.

Titan quickly raised a column of earth under herself, throwing herself into the air. Toph created a dome of rock around her as Titan hit the ground. The impact shattered Toph's dome, and she bended the debris at Titan. She bent a wall of earth in front of herself to block Toph's attack. Toph bent the earth underneath herself, going underground. From beneath the ring Toph bent the whole thing up and then down, throwing Titan off her balance. Toph came out of the ground directly beneath Titan and grabbed her feet. With a smile on her face Toph threw Titan out of the ring, winning the match.

The crowd cheered for The Blind Bandit, chanting Bandit, Bandit, Bandit. Long Feng watched as Toph took the gold trophy and the prize money. _Only a child and she possesses a master of earthbending_ he thought. _She would make an excellent Dai Li agent._

To celebrate the new champion, the arena launched several fireworks into the air. Various reds, blues, and greens lit up the night sky. For kicks Toph shook the whole arena, unaware that several fireworks were being launched as she did so. The fireworks were thrown off course and didn't reach the safe height, and exploded right above the ring. Bright flares fell into the crowd, burning several people. A green flare struck Kal El's face, and knocked him straight to the ground.

"Son of a…" Kal El said with his hands on his face. Several bystanders helped him up and cleared away green ash on his face.

"Are you alright?" one of them asked.

"I'll let you know once someone turns the lights back on" Kal El said, rubbing his eyes.

"The lights are on" the stranger said.

"Then why can't I see anything?" Kal El said. He rubbed his eyes again and tried to focus, but only saw black.

"Clark, is something wrong?"Toph asked when she ran up to Kal El.

"Toph? I can't see!"


	33. Darkness

Chapter 33: Darkness

"It's not working!" Kal El yelled.

Katara was trying to heal Kal El's eyes. After the accident at the earthbending tournament Kal El couldn't see. Dai Li agents had escorted Toph and Kal El back to the upper ring, and they arrived at the house late in the evening.

"I don't understand" Katara said. "This should work."

"Why was there Kryptonite in those fireworks?" Aang asked.

"Must have been for the green color" Kal El said.

"Whatever that stuff did your eyes, I can't fix it" Katara said. "I don't know what to do about this."

"It's late" Sokka said. "Maybe some sunlight will help in the morning? That powers you, right?"

"Yea, maybe that's all I need" Kal El said.

Everyone went to sleep and morning quickly came. Kal El stumbled in the house, breaking everything that got in his way. He found his way outside and felt the sunlight on his skin, but his vision was still black. In frustration Kal El stomped the ground, waking up everyone in the house.

"Welcome to my world" Toph said as she walked outside.

"Not quite" Kal El said. "You never had sight to begin with."

"And I learned to deal with it" Toph said. "And so can you."

"I'm no earthbender. I can't feel the earth like you do" Kal El said.

"I see through the vibrations in the earth, earthbending just makes that easier to do" Toph explained. "With practice and patience anyone could do it, but everyone relies on their eyes instead."

"So will you help me learn" Kal El said. "Please."

"Just promise to show me that clubhouse of yours up north" Toph asked.

Kal El smiled and said "Sure."

Toph told Aang to go ahead with putting up posters for Appa. Sokka and Katara went with him while Kal El and Toph stayed at the house. In the backyard Toph earthbended two stone benches. Toph sat down on one and Kal El sat down on the other. Both of them were barefoot and had their feet resting on solid stone.

"First you need to be completely calm" Toph said. "Focus on the bottom of your feet."

For an hour, Toph earthbended tiny ripples in the rock. However each ripple broke like a wave at Kal El's feet. Kal El remained calm, trying to interpret the impacts. "Maybe something a little bigger would be easier to 'see'" he said.

Toph made the ripples larger, which continued to break apart when they hit Kal El. _My invulnerability is getting in the way_ he thought. He could hear each ripple make contact, in a strangely pleasing rhythm. For another hour this continued, and he started to tell where the ripples were coming from. "I think I'm starting to get it" he said.

"Good, now for something else" Toph said. She started earthbending ripple from two spots. "Try to tell these apart."

Kal El listened and focused on the ripples. _Feels like a heartbeat_ he thought. The rhythm grew louder, and Kal El asked "Did you make the ripples bigger?"

"No" Toph said.

"You didn't have to yell" Kal El said.

"I'm not yelling" Toph said back.

"Sure sounds like it" Kal El said. Then he heard someone else talking. "Is someone here?"

"No, just the two of us" Toph answered.

More voices started to appear in Kal El hearing. Random pieces of conversations, as if he had been thrown into a crowd. They got louder and louder, and Kal El put his hands over his ears, trying to block it out. "Make it stop!" Kal El yelled.

"What's going on?" Toph asked.

"Too loud! Everything is too loud!" Kal El cried out. Then he heard a sound that he hadn't heard in weeks. Appa roaring, coming from somewhere underground, and he was in pain. "Appa's in danger!"

"What! Where?" Toph asked.

"I don't know!" Kal El yelled. "If only everyone else would just shut up!"

"Hang on" Toph said. Then she earthbended a thick earth dome around herself and Kal El, making sure to seal any cracks in the rock. The barrage of sound was buffered by the dome and Kal El recovered. "Better?" Toph asked.

"Yea, thank you" Kal El said.

"What just happened to you?" Toph asked.

"I'm not sure" Kal El admitted. "Everything just kept getting louder, until I couldn't hear myself think."

"I think we should get that under control before going back to earth-seeing" Toph suggested. Then she felt several people coming towards them. "After we deal with whoever is here."

Toph shattered the earth dome and sent rock in all directions, hitting several Dai Li agents. There were thirty of them nearby, and the ones not hit by Toph launched their rock gloves at her. She summoned a wall of earth around her to block, and then sent several boulders at the agents.

"Toph, get down!" Kal El yelled. He took a deep breath and blew a strong wind at the agents, turning around to guarantee a hit on all of them. All of the agents were pushed back and disoriented, allowing Toph to sink five of them into the ground before the rest recovered. The agents retaliated by creating a hailstorm of rocks. The rocks shattered harmlessly on Kal El and Toph blocked with an earth dome.

"Clark, cannonball!" Toph yelled. She earthbended the ground beneath him and moved him toward the agents, barreling into them. Kal El let Toph move him from one agent to the next, knocking them out on impact with him. In under a minute all of the agents were down.

"That was awesome" Kal El said. Suddenly his hearing started to go off again, and he heard someone say _"alpha team down, sending in beta and gamma"_ Covering his ears Kal El yelled "We got more coming in!"

Two groups of thirty agents each took the place of their fallen comrades. All sixty of them launched their rock gloves at Toph and Kal El, each pair of rock gloves had a metal chain between them. Toph formed another earth dome, but the chains smashed through the rock. When the dust settled over a dozen chains had wrapped around Toph, preventing her from moving and bending.

Several chains had wrapped around Kal El, but a simple flexing of his muscles broke them. The agents closed in on Toph, and Kal El hit the ones he heard coming. The noise was getting too loud and Kal El couldn't concentrate on the fight, reduced to hitting anyone that got too close to him. The agents picked up Toph along with their fallen comrades and carried them away, leaving Kal El behind with his ears ringing. The noise grew too loud for Kal El to handle, and he passed out.

A few hours later Kal El woke up being prodded by Sokka's boomerang. Sokka, Aang, and Katara had just gotten back from putting up posters and found the backyard looking like a warzone and Kal El unconscious. "Toph!" Kal El yelled as he got up.

"What happened here?" Aang asked. "Where's Toph?"

"They took her" Kal El said. "Dai Li took Toph and I couldn't stop them."

"Why would Dai Li kidnap Toph?" Katara asked.

"I don't know but we have to find her" Kal El said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_Meanwhile at Lake Laogai…_

"Let me go! Do have any idea who you're messing with?" Toph yelled while struggling against metal chains.

"Indeed I do miss Toph Bei Fong, also known as The Blind Bandit" Long Feng said. "I watched your final match at the tournament yesterday, and I was impressed. Even more impressive was how you just brought down dozens of Dai Li agents."

"Did I hurt your pride?" Toph snarked.

"On the contrary, you've only made yourself more valuable to the Earth Kingdom" Long Feng said. "With proper training you could be the greatest Dai Li agent that ever lived."

"Like I would ever work for you" Toph said.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter" Long Feng stated. "We have ways of… coercing defiant individuals such as yourself to cooperate. But since you're blind we'll have to use the more… primitive methods." To a Dai Li agent he said "Begin the mindbending procedure, and keep those feet of hers covered in unbendable meteor rock."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back in the upper ring Kal El was trying to listen for Toph and Appa. Finding one would likely lead to the other. He was able to tune out some of the noise, but it kept getting too loud to find them. Each time this happened Aang made an earth dome to silence the noise and let Kal El try again.

"Maybe if we were closer to them this would work?" Sokka suggested.

"But we have no idea where they took Toph" Katara said.

"We need an informant" Kal El said. "Someone that knows where their base is located."

Half an hour later an unsuspecting Dai Li agent was walking down a street in the middle ring. Aang ran past the agent and stole his hat, then ran into an alley. The agent chased after Aang, only to have his feet frozen to the ground by Katara. The agent turned to call for help when stone walls cut off the ends of the alley. The agent was about to earthbend when Sokka clubbed the agent's head, knocking him out.

The Dai Li agent woke up inside a wooden building with a metal floor, his hands tied behind his back. He saw Aang and his friends in front of him. "You've committed a serious crime, children" he said.

"We don't care" Sokka said.

"Where is your base? Where is Toph?" Kal El asked.

"That is a state secret" the agent said.

"Wrong answer" Kal El yelled. He grabbed the agent's shirt and lifted him up. "Tell us where it is!"

"You don't frighten me" the agent said.

Sokka placed a metal pipe in Kal El's hand. "See this?" Kal El said. Then he crushed the pipe with enough force to break in two. "That's you if you don't cooperate."

"You wouldn't dare" the agent said.

Kal El grabbed the agents arm with his free hand and squeezed just enough to cause pain, but no permanent damage. He didn't like doing it, but he had to get the information out of the agent. "I'm in a bad mood. Tell us where your base is."

"Alright" the agent said. "It's at Lake Laogai, just inside the outer wall. There's a hidden entrance on the shore that leads underground."

Kal El dropped the agent. Sokka clubbed him again to knock him out and then he untied the man. He would wake up in a few hours with a headache, but otherwise be fine. Aang and the others walked towards the outer wall, making a quick stop in a lower ring tea shop.

"Lee we need your help" Aang said.

"Clark, what's going on?" Zuko said.

"A lot" Kal El said. "I lost my sight, my hearing is going berserk, Toph was kidnapped, and I had to threaten a man to tell me where she is."

"Wait, what?" Zuko said. He listened as everyone explained what was going on, and that they needed as much help as possible to rescue Toph. Iroh wasn't there so Zuko closed the tea shop early and grabbed the equipment for his Blue Spirit persona. With the blue oni mask on Zuko left the shop with Kal El and the others.

On the way to Lake Laogai they ran into Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot, who were gathering supplies for the sick in the lower ring. They agreed to help when they were told what happened. All eight of them traveled to Lake Laogai together.


	34. Lake Laogai

Chapter 34: Lake Laogai

Aang, Kal El, Katara, Sokka, Zuko as The Blue Spirit, Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot all stood on the shore of Lake Laogai. It was right next to the southern outer wall, close enough to be in its shadow throughout most of the day. Underneath was the hidden base that would soon feel the wrath of the Avatar and his friends.

Kal El was standing still, listening for any sounds coming from the base. Being outside the city reduced the amount of background noise he heard and made his hearing manageable, allowing him to tune out everything coming from Ba Sing Se. Patiently listening, he heard voices echoing through tunnels, buffered by a thin wall of rock and the lake's water. He walked in the direction it came from, stopping where the echoes were loudest.

"Earthbend here" Kal El said.

Aang raised the rock leading towards the water, creating a path and revealing a hatch. Everyone walked up to it, and Kal El ripped it open. Zuko and Jet climbed down the ladder first, followed by Katara guiding Kal El down, then everyone else.

"What do you hear now?" Katara asked.

Listening, Kal El heard several Dai Li agents giving orders, over a dozen women chanting _"I am Joo Dee, Welcome to Ba Sing Se"_, Appa growling, and Toph yelling at someone. "Toph and Appa are here" Kal El said.

"Which way are they?" Jet asked.

"Toph's at the other end of the base, and Appa's somewhere in the middle" Kal El said. "That's all I can tell with all the background noise."

"Let's get moving" Aang said.

The group ran through the base, quickly dispatching any Dai Li that got in their way. The agents weren't prepared to handle airbending, waterbending, and melee weapons simultaneously. However other agents ran away from the fights, and alerted Long Feng to the security breach.

_How in the world did they find this place?_ Long Feng thought. He walked through the halls of the base to the rehabilitation room, where one of his mindbenders was at work 'conditioning' Toph. She was a resilient person, but any mind could be bent if enough force was applied.

Long Feng watched as the mindbender did his work. The hypnotic lanterns couldn't be used on the blind, so alternative methods were required. A mixture of chi-enhancing tea and desert cactus juice had been forced down her throat, altering her perception of reality. Her feet had been encased in unbendable meteor rock to prevent her from 'seeing' anything, and the room had been chilled to nearly freezing. Her ears had been covered in sound proof wax, with tubes leading to the mindbender, forcing her to only hear his commands.

This technique hadn't been used in years, and the girl was resisting it. After struggling with the restraints for a few hours she started screaming various threats and insults. At this rate it would take a week to break her will, a week Long Feng didn't have. He turned to another mindbender overseeing the process and said "Speed this up."

"We can't" the man said. "The conditioning process is already optimized. We can't go any faster."

"Then use the liquid meteor rock" Long Feng ordered.

"Are you mad?" the man said. "The side effects are bad enough with adults, and you want to subject that to a _child?_"

"The Avatar is here and we don't have time to do this properly" Long Feng said. "Or do you have any other suggestions?"

"Send the experimental squad" the man said. "They needed to be field tested soon anyway."

"Very well" Long Feng said. "They'll certainly give the Avatar a surprise."

Aang and the others were making it through the base with little resistance. Word of their arrival had spread and many Dai Li fled. Katara and Sokka guided Kal El's movement, letting him smash through obstacles and doors. After fifteen minutes of searching they found a large room, with five Dai Li standing in the middle.

But these weren't ordinary Dai Li. Their skin was as white as chalk, and their hair was falling out. Misshapen lumps were scattered over their bodies in random places, some of which were slowly bleeding. "You will go no further" the lead agent said.

"Right… like we're going to listen to you" Sokka said.

"We just took down dozens of your friends" Jet said.

The agents took fighting stances and the lead agent said "This is your last warning. Turn back."

"Like you're in any condition to stop us" Kal El said.

In unison all five Dai Li made a punching motion, and **green fire** emerged from their fists and shot across the room. At the last second Aang airbended a shield in front of him and Smellerbee, Katara made a water shield in front of her and Longshot, and Zuko was forced to firebend a shield in front of him and Jet. Kal El was in front of Sokka and the green fire struck his face, and knocked him over.

"Son of a…" Kal El said as he hit the floor. The green fire had burned his face, and the rest of his head felt numb.

Aang earthbended a wall in front of everyone when the Dai Li firebended again. The wall started to melt from the heat, and then it flowed away towards the Dai Li. The bended the melted wall around themselves and then sent it back towards Aang, which he barely diverted with earthbending.

Aang, Katara, and Zuko attacked with their elements, while Longshot fired an arrow. The Dai Li blocked with a wall of earth, then set the wall on fire and bent it forward. Aang shattered the moving wall and Zuko diverted the flames, giving Longshot an opening to fire an arrow. It struck one of the Dai Li in the arm, and he dropped to the ground.

Sokka, Jet, and Smellerbee ran along the side of the room, trying to get behind the Dai Li. Sokka threw his boomerang, which the Dai Li dodged. Jet moved in with his hook swords and Smellerbee attacked with daggers. Jet caught the leg of an agent with his swords and pulled him down, hearing something snap as the agent hit the ground. Smellerbee's daggers dug into an agent's shoulder, and the agent collapsed.

The two remaining agents earthbended a wall between them and the melee fighters, when Sokka's boomerang came back around and struck one in the head and brought him down. The last agent moved to attack when he suddenly collapsed, twitching for a minute before lying disturbingly still.

"Is everyone alright?" Sokka asked.

"Never mind the guy with his face burned off" Kal El said through his hands. "I think its growing back."

Aang and Zuko helped Kal El up. The green fire had burned most of his face, which was in fact growing back. Smellerbee and Katara turned their eyes away, and Sokka threw up. The flesh and skin slowly returned, and new eyes grew.

Kal El blinked a few times, and the black in his vision gave way to the dim light of the base. He rubbed his eyes and his vision cleared and focused, allowing him to see. "I can see…" he muttered. "I can see!"

"How?" Katara asked. "How could getting your face burned off let you see?"

"Maybe that Kryptonite firework left something in my eyes, which the fire burned away" Kal El speculated.

"Kryptonite?" Zuko said.

"The green rocks scattered all over this crazy city" Sokka said. "They're from the same place he is."

"And that would be…" Jet asked.

"We can explain that later" Aang said. "We need to find Toph and Appa, then figure out how those agents firebended."

"Speaking of firebending…" Jet said. Then he swung his hook swords at Zuko, who blocked with his broadswords. "You're Fire Nation."

"Fire Nation that saved your life earlier" Zuko yelled.

"Knock it off Jet" Katara said. "You two can kill each other _after_ we're done here."

"Fine" Jet said as he lowered his hook swords. "Which way are they Clark?"

Listening, Kal El heard Appa a few rooms down the next hall. "We're almost to Appa." Kal El led the way, glad to have his sight back. When he reached the right door Kal El knocked it down.

Appa was a wreck. His fur was a mess, burned and cut in several places and full of dirt. He looked half starved, and unable to struggle against the chains. But when Aang ran into the room Appa got up and licked Aang when he ran into his furry friend. "I missed you buddy" Aang said.

Kal El walked up to each chain on Appa's legs and broke them into pieces. When he was free Appa turned and licked Kal El. "I guess this means you've forgiven me for our first meeting?" Kal El said. Appa roared in agreement. "Aang, take Smellerbee and Longshot and get Appa out of here. The rest of us will find Toph."

"Alright" Aang said, then he earthbended the doorway wide enough for Appa to fit through. "Yip Yip" Aang said, and the bison gladly responded.

With Appa on his way to the surface Kal El listened for Toph. He heard her walking through the hallways, slowly coming towards him. "Come on" Kal El said to the others.

Kal El, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and Jet ran through the base, with no one attempting to stop them. They reached a large cavern, and found Toph standing at the other end. She was very pale and didn't respond to their presence, even when her name was called out. Then Long Feng stepped out of the shadows behind Toph.

"Toph, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

"I am honored to accept his invitation."

Before anyone realized what was going on Toph earthbended two columns of rock, hitting Jet and Sokka with them. As they hit the back wall Toph summoned a boulder and threw it at Kal El, where it shattered on impact. "Toph, what are you doing?" Kal El yelled.

Toph didn't hear him, and sent a wave of earth towards him. Kal El jumped out of its way, but Katara and Zuko were hit and knocked back to the wall. Then she bent the ground beneath everyone, making their feet sink into the stone. Kal El broke free and ran up to Toph. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her into the air, then felt his hands go numb.

_Kryptonite!_ Kal El thought. There was just barely enough to sting, but not weaken him. He looked into Toph's body, and found green fluid in her blood.

"Snap out of it!" Kal El yelled. Toph's response was a kick to his chest, which only hurt her foot.

"You're never going to reach her" Long Feng said. "She is under my control."

Kal El tossed Toph back and then blurred to Long Feng and pinned him to a wall. He felt the sting of Kryptonite again, just enough to show pain which Long Feng noticed. "Then release her!" he yelled.

"I'm afraid that's not possible" Long Feng said, making a mental note to figure out what was hurting Clark. "She's too valuable to give up, and you just had to come here and force me to use liquid meteor rock to get the job done now. Such a waste."

"Release her, or you die here and now!" Kal El yelled, his eyes glowing red.

"Then you'll have to kill me, because her condition is irreversible" Long Feng said.

"Liar!"

"Look for yourself" Long Feng said. "She's dying."

Kal El turned his head and saw Toph on her knees, one hand holding her chest. She was having trouble breathing, and her heart rate was too high. Kal El blurred over to her, and looked through her skin. He saw the Kryptonite in her blood, damaging Toph's heart as it flowed through her. Kal El picked up Toph, who lost consciousness in his arms. "Long Feng! If Toph dies, YOU die!" he yelled. Then he blurred away and out of the base.

Outside Kal El ran north as fast as he could, faster than he ever ran before, enough to tear apart the earth in his wake. There was only one chance to save Toph, The Fortress of Solitude. The minutes Kal El took to reach it felt like an eternity has he held Toph in his arms. _Just hang in there_ he thought.

When he reached the Fortress Kal El placed a hand on the door. The S in a diamond symbol appeared and the door opened.

"_Welcome Kal-El."_

"Transport us to the infirmary, NOW!" Kal El yelled.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

A beam of light swept over Kal El and Toph, sending them to a large room with several crystalline tables and equipment. Kal El placed Toph on one of the tables and a blue light shined over Toph.

"_Kryptonite Sickness Confirmed. Cellular damage at 10% and rising. Heart Failure Imminent."_

"Do something to help her" Kal El yelled.

"_Activating Stasis Lock."_

A blue field of energy, almost like lightning, emerged from the table and covered Toph. Her breathing slowed to a crawl and her heartbeat calmed. She appeared to be asleep, but with a blanket of lightning over her.

"What does this do?" Kal El asked.

"_Stasis Lock slows down all biological processes, giving the patient more time to receive proper treatment."_

"What will it take to save her?" Kal El asked.

"_A blood transfusion to remove the Kryptonite in her bloodstream, a living relative is required."_

"Send me as close to Gaoling as possible" Kal El ordered.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

In a beam of light Kal El was sent back to the Earth Kingdom continent. Then he ran as fast as he could to the Bei Fong Estate in Gaoling. He found Poppy Bei Fong in a garden and picked her up. She screamed as Kal El ran back to the Fortress. Inside Poppy struggled as the Fortress transported them to the infirmary.

"What do you want with me?" Poppy yelled.

"Look!" Kal El yelled, gesturing to the table. Poppy saw Toph, and started to cry for her daughter. "She needs you. Toph needs her mother."

"What do you need me to do?" Poppy asked.

"Lie down on a table next to Toph, the Fortress will do the rest" Kal El said. When she did a blue light shined over Poppy.

"_DNA match acceptable. Deactivating Stasis Lock." _The energy field around Toph disappeared, and her breathing and heartbeat worsened. _"Beginning blood transfusion."_ Two clear tubes moved into position, one between Toph and Poppy and one on the opposite side of Toph. The tube in the middle connected their arms together and the second tube connected Toph's other arm to the table. Blood flowed from Poppy to Toph, and dark blood with traces of green liquid flowed out of Toph.

Toph's breathing calmed and her heartbeat stabilized. She was still breathing hard, but steady. Poppy felt weak as she got off the table. "Will she be alright?" she asked. A blue light shined over Toph.

"_Cellular damage at 17% and stable. Recommended action: Rest."_

"Poppy, I need you to wait here until Toph wakes up" Kal El said.

"Alright" Poppy said.

"Fortress, give Poppy whatever she needs and transport me towards Ba Sing Se" Kal El ordered.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

Meanwhile Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Jet were running through the Dai Li base. Dai Li agents attempted to stop them from leaving. Katara and Zuko bended their elements against the agents in front and Sokka and Jet used their weapons on the agents coming from behind. What they didn't realize was that the agents were herding them away from the exit.

"Which way is the exit?" Jet asked. Everyone looked at Sokka.

"I have no idea. I'm making this up as I go along" Sokka admitted.

"Then pick a direction" Katara yelled.

Zuko heard more agents coming. "This way" he said as he moved towards a door. When everyone was inside Zuko closed the door.

"Guys, I think you should take a look at this" Katara said. In the room was an object, shaped like an elongated diamond with an egg shaped sphere in the center. It was about the size of two people, and there were metal bars holding it just above the floor.

"What is that?" Jet asked.

"I have no idea" Zuko said.

Sokka walked up to the object, and found a recession in the metal, shaped like an octagon. "I got an idea" Sokka said. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a metal octagon.

"Where did you get that?" Katara asked.

"Spirit Library" Sokka said. He compared the octagon to the recession in the object, and it appeared to fit perfectly. "I forgot to show it to Clark." Sokka placed the octagon in the object, and it floated into the air.

"What did you just do?" Zuko asked.

The sphere section of the object lit up and opened, revealing a seat meant for a young child. Sokka climbed into it, barely fitting. "Now what can this thing do?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't think you should be messing with that" Katara said.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Sokka asked. He found a small button in the front of the seat and pressed it. The button projected a screen of light in front of Sokka with several strange symbols scattered on it. _Eenie, Minee, Miny, Moe_ he thought and touched a 'Z' symbol. The front of the object split in two and a wide metal barrel extended out, and fired a white beam forward. It blasted through the door, several walls, and into the bedrock at the opposite end of the base.

Everyone stared at the destruction the object caused, lucky to have not been in the way. "Note to self: Do not press the Z" Sokka said.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Zuko yelled.

"Nope" Sokka admitted. "But we need to get this thing out of here."

"It's in the air" Jet said. "So get out of that and push."

Sokka and Jet pushed the object out of the room. They used it as a battering ram when Dai Li agents showed up, their earthbending doing no damage to the object. With the object protecting their front and water and fire bending guarding the rear everyone made it through the base safely. They were nearly out when Long Feng showed up to stop them.

"I'm afraid that property belongs to the state" Long Feng said. "You are not leaving with it."

"I don't think so" Sokka said. He and Jet pushed the object forward, and then Katara and Zuko bended their elements at it to push it faster. Long Feng jumped out of the way and the object slammed into a wall. As Long Feng dodged Katara bended water at him and turned it into ice, freezing him to the ground.

"We'll be leaving now" Jet said.

Katara climbed the ladder first and bended some water into a rope and pulled the object up. Sokka, Jet, and Zuko pushed the object up from beneath. In a few minutes of work they hauled the object out of the base. Back in the sunlight, they left the lake's shores and tried to find Aang and Kal El.

_A/N: Please review this chapter. I really want to know what you think before continuing the story in this direction._


	35. Recovery

Chapter 35: Recovery

Aang, Smellerbee, Longshot, and Appa were waiting near the inner wall. Smellerbee and Longshot watched for anyone coming nearby while Aang tended to Appa. He had given Appa fresh hay to eat and was applying bandages to wounds Appa had. He was almost finished when Smellerbee spotted Katara coming with the others and pushing a strange object with them.

"Where are Clark and Toph? And what is that thing you got with you?" Aang asked.

"Toph was brainwashed" Katara explained. "Clark left with her, probably to his Fortress."

"Clark has a Fortress?" Zuko asked.

"Up north" Sokka said. "Anyway we found this object down there. And it's got a weapon that makes lightning look like spark rocks."

Then Kal El blurred into the area, stopping in front of everyone. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

"Long Feng had it" Jet said. "Whatever it is it's very dangerous."

"It's more than that" Kal El said. "It's my ship."

"Your ship?" Zuko said. "What is going on Clark?"

"Short version: I'm not from Earth, that ship brought me here, and I need to store it at a Fortress hidden at the North Pole" Kal El explained.

"You better give me the long version later" Zuko said.

"Wait, you don't want to use it?" Sokka asked.

"The world isn't ready for the technology that ship has" Kal El said. "What do you think would happen if Azula got her hands on it? It's not a pretty picture."

"Point taken" Sokka said.

Kal El picked up the ship and said "I'll be back when Toph is alright." Then he blurred away, taking the ship to the Fortress.

"So what should we do now?" Katara asked.

"I'm going back to uncle" Zuko said. "You do whatever you want."

After Zuko left Jet decided to leave as well. He wanted to get back to helping the sick people in the lower ring, and took Smellerbee and Longshot with him. With only Aang, Katara, and Sokka remaining, they flew on Appa to find a safer place from the Dai Li.

"Now that we have Appa, I think we should talk to the Earth King about the solar eclipse" Aang said.

"Assuming we can even reach the Earth King" Sokka said. "Long Feng will probably have more Dai Li to stop us."

"Well before we go I think we should wait for Clark and Toph to get back" Katara said. "We might have to fight our way in there."

"Makes sense, and I suppose we could use some rest" Aang admitted.

Meanwhile Kal El reached the Fortress. Inside he told the Fortress to transport the ship into the armory, where only he would be able to access it. Then he had the Fortress transport him to the infirmary, where Toph and her mother were still inside.

"How is she?" Kal El asked.

Poppy Bei Fong was holding her daughter's hand, worried for her. "Still asleep" she said. "What happened to her?"

"Long Feng wanted Toph's earthbending skills under his control" Kal El said. "He used liquid meteor rock to brainwash her, and it poisoned her."

"But she's just a little girl" Poppy said. "What could earthbending could she possibly have?"

"Miss Bei Fong, your daughter is a master earthbender, possibly the best in the world" Kal El said. "She never showed you because you never gave her any freedom at home."

"Is that why she left?" Poppy asked. "We were being too protective?"

"Mom…" Toph muttered in her sleep.

"I'm here" Poppy said, one hand in hers and the other stroking Toph's hair. "Just get better, for me."

Toph slept for several hours, and her mother never left her side. Kal El ordered the Fortress to provide food and water for them, and then waited with Poppy. The sun began to set over the North Pole when Toph finally woke up.

"My little girl" Poppy said while hugging Toph. "I'm so happy you're awake."

"Mom? Where am I? What are you doing here?" Toph asked.

"Your friend brought us here" Poppy said. "He saved your life."

"Clark? Kal?"

"I'm here" Kal El said. "You're at the Fortress."

"Kal I'm so sorry" Toph cried. "I tried so hard to fight him, but I wasn't strong enough. I hurt our friends, I tried to hurt you."

"It's alright" Kal El said. "Everyone is fine. You weren't in control."

"I should have fought harder" Toph said. "I knew I was attacking you, but I couldn't stop."

"Long Feng cheated" Kal El said. "You held him off long enough for us to find you, forcing him to cheat with Kryptonite. The Fortress removed it, you don't have to worry about losing control again."

"Thank you" Toph said.

"You should get some more rest" Kal El said. "Save your strength."

Toph went back to sleep, and Kal El walked outside the room. A few minutes later Poppy walked outside. "Are you going to take Toph with you when you leave?" she asked.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but yes" Kal El said. "Aang still needs Toph to teach him earthbending, and she has just as much of a stake in this war as the rest of us."

"I don't want her fighting in it" Poppy said.

"Even if I told Toph to stay out of it she wouldn't listen" Kal El explained. "She loves to fight. You have to let her go."

"You care for her, don't you?" Poppy said.

Kal El thought back about the last few days. How he enjoyed watching Toph fight in that tournament, how she helped him deal with being blind, their teamwork fighting Dai Li, nearly torturing that agent to find her, threatening to kill Long Feng to free Toph, kidnapping her mother to save Toph's life. "Yes, I do care for her" he said.

"Then Toph is in good hands" Poppy said. "Promise me you'll keep her safe."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Zuko returned to the apartment he and Iroh used in the lower ring. Iroh had gotten home before him, with news that they would be getting their own tea shop in the upper ring tomorrow. Zuko told him about how he helped rescue Toph, and felt sick telling the tale.

_I did it for Kal, not the Avatar_ he thought to himself. And yet fighting with the Avatar had felt right, as if that was his destiny. When he finished talking with Iroh he passed out and dreamed. In his dream Zuko saw himself as Fire Lord, with two dragons circling him. The blue one with Azula's voice told him to sleep, while the red dragon with Iroh's voice told him to leave. The blue dragon moved to attack, when a red _and_ blue dragon flew in and restrained the blue dragon. Then with Kal El's voice the red and blue dragon told Zuko to choose his own actions.

During the night Zuko woke up with a high fever. Iroh have him some water, and told him this was a spiritual illness. Letting the Avatar go had gone against his need to capture the Avatar, and left Zuko conflicted within himself. Zuko fell asleep again, and dreamt again.

In this dream, Zuko found himself in a field of ice, with red sunlight shining down on him. He found himself wearing a black suit with a silver 'Z' symbol on his chest. In the sky he saw the object from Lake Laogai flying away. Then the ground below Zuko started to break apart, and then explode in a green flash waking him up. Zuko got up and walked into the next room. Looking in a mirror Zuko found his scar and hair gone and an arrow tattoo on his head, shocking him into waking up for real.

Awake, Zuko checked to be sure his scar was still there, making sure this was real. Throughout the rest of the night Zuko struggled with sleep, worried about what he might dream next. Early in the morning Zuko fell asleep, and didn't dream at all.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the morning Toph woke up in the Fortress. She still felt weak, but wanted to get out of that room. When she stood up she was surprised, the vibrations carried throughout the Fortress, showing her the entire building and everything in it. It was nearly overwhelming, and she spent a few minutes taking it all in.

She found her mother sleeping next to her. Letting her sleep Toph walked out of the room, and found Kal El staring into the sunrise. Without bothering to turn Kal El said "what you think of my clubhouse?"

"I see why you keep it hidden" Toph said. "Nice place to forget everything going on in the world."

"A little piece of home" Kal El said. "I just wish I knew what home was like."

"You don't remember any of it?" Toph asked.

"Only fragments from before father found me" Kal El admitted. "The only clear image is a woman with blond hair and blue eyes. I think she was my mother."

"Speaking of mothers, why is mine here?" Toph asked.

"The Fortress needed a relative to save you" Kal El explained. "She really cares about you."

"Too much if you ask me" Toph said.

"I talked to her about that last night" Kal El said. "I think she understands why you left now."

"I suppose I should say goodbye to her" Toph said. "I didn't do that last time."

Toph and Kal El walked back to the infirmary where Poppy slept. Toph woke her up, and they hugged each other. "I'm so glad you're ok" Poppy said.

"Mom, I need to go back to Ba Sing Se" Toph said. "I need to finish the fight."

"Just promise to come back to me when it's over" Poppy said.

"I will" Toph said.

"Are both of you ready to leave?" Kal El asked. Toph and Poppy nodded. "Fortress, transport us towards Gaoling."

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

A beam of light swept over them, sending everyone to the Earth Kingdom. Kal El carried Poppy back to her home and then ran back to Toph. He picked up Toph and ran back to Ba Sing Se, where he found Aang, Sokka, and Katara cleaning Appa's fur. "We're back" Kal El said as he put Toph down.

"Sweet" Sokka said. "We got Appa back, Kal can see again, Toph's back to normal, we're on a roll."

"Not quite" Kal El said. "Katara, I need you to use the new healing technique on Toph."

"Hey I don't need any healing!" Toph yelled.

"The Kryptonite nearly killed you, and you're still not back to full strength" Kal El said.

"Fine" Toph said.

Aang earthbended a small tub and Katara filled it with water. Toph jumped in and Katara placed her hands in the water. For ten minutes the water glowed as Katara used her healing ability, and Toph came out feeling much better. Not quite at her full strength, but getting there.

"Is there anything else we need to take care of here?" Aang asked.

"None that come to my mind" Kal El said.

"Then it's time to see the King" Sokka said

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In Ba Sing Se's palace Long Feng had a busy morning. He was giving orders to every Dai Li agent, making preparations for the Avatar's return to the city. He had also ordered the destruction of the base at Lake Laogai. Not only had the Avatar exposed its location, his friends had severely damaged it with that foreign craft. Somehow those kids had gotten it to work in minutes, despite the years of failure Dai Li had trying to open it.

That wasn't the worst of Long Feng's worries. He was certain that the girl he tried to condition was still alive, and would want revenge against him. The look in Clark's eyes had made it clear he would carry out his threat if the girl had died. From what little he had seen of Clark's power Long Feng knew that the girl had to be alive, or he would have been back by now.

While Long Feng had lost control of the Earth King after the first outbreak of City Sickness in his Dai Li, he had managed to retake control over most of the palace guard. He issued fake orders from the King to prevent the Avatar from entering the palace, and to use force if the Avatar didn't turn away. If necessary he would personally convince the King that the Avatar was the enemy.

However there was a variable Long Feng wasn't sure how to account for. Clark was a threat to everything he worked for, and had the power to make his life a living hell. He knew Clark had a weakness, and guessed it was the small vial of liquid meteor rock he had on himself the last time they met. However Clark had still kept him restrained even with the meteor rock on him, so he couldn't rely on it.

In case things completely fell to pieces Long Feng took a glass vial of green liquid and hid it inside his robe. The liquid was a mixture of meteor rock and other chi-influencing substances. It was the key to the firebending Dai Li, and if necessary he would drink it to give himself that power. But only as a last resort, since it had a tendency to kill anyone that actually used the firebending.

When the first sentries spotted the Avatar's bison, Long Feng was ready.


	36. Derailing Plans

Chapter 36: Derailing Plans

Aang, Kal El, Katara, Toph, and Sokka were riding bareback on Appa. They flew straight for the palace, bypassing all of the defenses on the ground. As Appa flew down near the palace large boulders were thrown at him, which Sokka called 'Surface-to-Air Rocks'. Appa dodged most of them, and the rest were destroyed by Aang earthbending.

When Appa came close to the ground dozens of guards approached. Kal El jumped off Appa and hit the ground, the impact leaving a crater and shaking the guards off their feet. Aang followed, using earthbending to force the guards back. Appa landed and everyone else got off him and ran towards the palace.

Several guards approached from the side, and sent stone bricks inward. Aang and Toph destroyed them with earthbending while Kal El blurred past the guards and tossed them aside. Katara was using a water whip on guards Kal El forgot to disable, apologizing to each one. More guards approached from the front, which Toph imprisoned in rock.

As everyone approached the steps to the palace the guards earthbended two large badgermole statues into the air and threw them. Kal El jumped into the path of one statue and broke it into pieces, and when he hit the ground he blurred back to his friends and caught the second statue and set it down.

At the stairs they saw more guards coming down them. Toph flattened the steps into a steep ramp, sending all of the guards sliding to the bottom. Then Aang and Toph earthbended the ground beneath them, lifting it up the ramp and past the sliding guards. At the top more guards arrived, which Kal El blew away.

Kal El led the way into the palace, having looked through the walls and found King Kuei in this throne room. More guards showed up, and Kal El was getting tired of fighting the same opponents over and over. Not wasting any more time he blurred past all of them, taking them out in seconds. Then Kal El showed the way to the throne room's big fancy door, and opened it.

Inside the throne room King Kuei was sitting on his throne, with Long Feng at his side. Several Dai Li moved into position to protect him. Then King Kuei recognized one of the intruders as the Avatar. "Wait a minute" Kuei said. "Long Feng, you never told me the Avatar was trying to get in."

"He's here to overthrow you" Long Feng said.

"That has to be a misunderstanding" Kuei said. "I asked the Avatar to find the cause of City Sickness, and left orders to let him inside if he finds the answer."

"We did find the cause" Aang said. "When we tried to tell you Long Feng got in the way."

"He claimed that he would pass on what we found out" Kal El said. "The source of the disease is the green rocks left by the meteor shower several years ago."

"Green rocks?" Kuei said. "The same rocks the Dai Li have been studying?"

"Your majesty, that is classified information" Long Feng said. "We shouldn't be giving out state secrets."

"Like how Long Feng used them to brainwash me!" Toph yelled.

"Brainwash? That is a very serious accusation" Kuei said.

"She's not the first person he's done that too" Kal El said. "There are dozens of women brainwashed into being 'Joo Dees' which are used to keep tourists under control. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the Dai Li are brainwashed as well."

"Lies" Long Feng said.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with my advisor" Kuei said. "Just how would you prove such a claim?"

Kal El blurred out of the throne room, surprising King Kuei. He came back and left again every ten seconds, dropping off one of the Joo Dee each time. When over a dozen Joo Dees were in the room Kal El stopped in front of them. "Raise your hand if your name is Joo Dee" Kal El asked. All of the women did.

"Believe us?" Sokka asked.

"Dai Li, arrest Long Feng" Kuei ordered. "I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

For a moment it appeared that the Dai Li weren't going to follow the order. But they did, and took Long Feng to a cell beneath the palace. When he was gone Sokka explained how the meteor rock caused City Sickness, and that the Dai Li had legitimately started to remove the rocks from the city. With the cause of the disease dealt with King Kuei agreed to invade the Fire Nation on the day of black sun.

King Kuei ordered his generals to search Long Feng's office for anything of use. They found secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se, including the Avatar and his friends. There were also intercepted letters for Toph and Aang, and an intelligence report relevant to Sokka and Katara.

Toph handed the letter for her to Katara to read out loud. "It's a letter from your mom. She's here in the city"

"That's not true." Toph interrupted. "Clark dropped her off in Gaoling this morning."

"Yea, and she was there yesterday as well" Kal El said. "That letter has to be forged."

"Wait you went all the way back to Gaoling?" Sokka asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you later" Kal El said.

Tossing out the letter for Toph, everyone turned their attention to a scroll meant for Aang. It had been attached to Appa's horn when he was captured. It was from a Guru that wanted to speak with Aang at the Eastern Air Temple about mastering the Avatar State. Then Katara and Sokka received an intelligence report that claimed their dad was protecting Chameleon Bay.

"That's wonderful news" Kal El said. "Chameleon Bay isn't far from here. It's even between here and the Eastern Air Temple, Aang can drop you two off on the way."

"Clark and I will stay here to help the King plan" Toph said. "You three can have fun on your road trip."

While packing supplies on Appa's brand new saddle Sokka overheard the guards taking about the arrival of the Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka vouched for their skill and loyalty, so the Earth King decided to welcome them to the city.

After Appa left Kal El went to the top of the palace. His hearing was acting up again and he needed to practice with it. On the roof he shifted through all the sounds coming from the city, slowly tuning them out. Then he heard someone in the lower ring crying for help, and a child screaming in a burning building.

Immediately Kal El blurred to the lower ring, stopping near the building that was on fire. He looked through the walls and smoke, and found a little girl trapped on the middle floor. He ran into the building ignoring the flames. When he reached the girl Kal El picked her up and blurred out of the building, fast enough to shield the girl from the flames.

Outside he found the girl's mother crying for her daughter. Kal El walked up to her and handed over the child. "Thank you" the mother said.

"Mommy, who is he?" the girl asked.

The mother turned to ask for Kal El's name, but he was gone. "A hero" she said.

Kal El heard more people needing help in the city. There were a few fires, several muggings, two collapsed buildings. He blurred in and rescued the people in danger, and left before they realized what happened. Within the hour people were talking about the mysterious rescues, wondering if they were the Avatar's work or something more.

When no more people needed rescue Kal El stood on one of the walls, glad with what he was doing. The Fire Lord had wanted him to use his powers to destroy lives, and here he was using them to save lives. It gave him a purpose, something to use his powers for when the war was over. However his satisfaction was short-lived, as he heard a voice he never expected to find in this city.

"_We are the Earth King's humble servants."_

_Azula!_ Kal El thought. He immediately blurred to the palace, where Azula was disguised as a Kyoshi Warrior. He ran past everyone present and took Azula, and within seconds tossed her into a cell beneath the palace.

"What the… Kal!" Azula said.

"What have you done with the real Kyoshi Warriors?" Kal El demanded.

"They got in my way" Azula said. "They're on their way to the Boiling Rock, should be there in a month."

"In that case it's only reasonable that you rot in this cell" Kal El said. "I don't know what your plan is, but this will surely slow it down." The he walked out the cell, closed the door, and welded it shut with firevision. Even if someone picked the lock or had the key the door won't open. For good measure he told the guards to keep a constant watch on the new prisoner.

However Kal El didn't realize that Long Feng was in a nearby cell, and overheard everything. He recognized the name Azula called Kal, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. 'Clark' was Kal El, the Fire Lord's missing Super Soldier, and the 'Kyoshi Warrior' was from the Fire Nation. Long Feng devised a plan to use her to take back control of the city.

_A/N: Azula's deception as a Kyoshi Warrior should have never worked in canon. First Sokka should have at least said hello to Suki before leaving, which would have exposed Azula. Second Katara was there and should have introduced the Warriors, again exposing Azula. Third, Kuei should have asked for a demonstration of their fighting ability, and while Azula 'might' have passed Ty Lee and Mai wouldn't have been able to replicate the Kyoshi fighting style and be exposed._

_Having Kal El fall for it here would be inexcusable, especially with super-hearing and knowing exactly what Azula sounds like._


	37. The Coup

Chapter 37: The Coup

Azula was a very unhappy princess at the moment. After defeating the Kyoshi Warriors she and her friends had seized their uniforms and used them to infiltrate Ba Sing Se. One of the Avatar's friends had foolishly vouched for them without bothering to check who they really were. The guards had led her and her friends directly to the Earth King, where she introduced herself as the Earth King's servant.

Then she found herself moving at insane speeds, everything passing by in a blur before being dropped in a metal cell. Kal El had seen through the deception, and demanded to know what she did with the real Kyoshi Warriors. What Azula didn't understand was _how_ he did it, because Kal El had been nowhere in sight when she met the Earth King.

Now Azula was stuck in a cell with the door welded shut. While it would be easy to melt the door with firebending there were guards constantly watching her. She also couldn't rely on Ty Lee or Mai to deal with the guards, since Kal El likely found them as well. Azula was trapped, and she knew it.

_How could he have known?_ Azula thought. _Kal's smart, but not omniscient. _The more she thought about it the less Kal El made sense. _Could he have heard me?_ She had been taken away mere seconds after she spoke to the Earth King. _That's impossible, no one's hearing is that good._ Then again Kal El had a knack for making the impossible possible.

Azula was taken out of her thoughts when a Dai Li agent knocked on the cell door. When he had her attention the agent forced a metal blade through the welds on the door and slowly cut the door open. The agent took Azula to another cell, which currently held Long Feng.

"What is this about?" Azula asked.

"Princess Azula of the Fire Nation" Long Feng said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"What do you want?" Azula asked.

"I want to make a deal" Long Feng said. "It's time that I regained control of Ba Sing Se. And you have something I need."

"And that is…?" Azula said.

"Knowledge of what Kal El is truly capable of" Long Feng asked.

"Why should I help you?" Azula asked.

"Because I know his weakness" Long Feng said.

That got Azula's attention. "I'm listening" she said.

Long Feng explained his plan to take Ba Sing Se. Azula would organize a coup to remove the Earth King and the Council of Five from power, and replace it with Long Feng as ruler of the city. The only obstacles at the moment were Kal El and his friend Toph. Azula told Long Feng everything she knew for certain Kal El could do, and Long Feng told Azula about his weakness to meteor rocks.

That weakness didn't make any sense to Azula, until Long Feng explained that the meteor rocks came from the meteor shower that destroyed the old outer wall. It was the same meteor shower that Uncle Iroh found Kal El at all those years ago. Suddenly everything about Kal El made perfect sense to Azula.

_He's not human _Azula thought. _He's from another world, wherever the meteor rocks came from._ She didn't know or care why Kal El was sent here, just that this finally explained how Kal El was always better than her. _I'll make him pay for interfering in __**my**__ world._

When she was out of the prison Azula gave a speech to the Dai Li, inspiring them with her words. Then she gave them handwritten instructions for the coup, just in case Kal El really could hear from a distance. With the plan in motion Azula left to deal with Kal El personally.

Kal El had been discussing the invasion of the Fire Nation with the Council of Five for hours after capturing Azula. The attack would be launched from General Fong's base on the Day of Black Sun, and the Fire Lord would fall. Then General How gave Kal El a scroll to bring to King Kuei for final approval. He blurred to the throne room, received the seal, and blurred back to the General in minutes, impressing him.

With nothing else to do today Kal El walked to the palace library. While he could speed-read everything in minutes he found reading more enjoyable at a normal pace. He was sitting next to a table and reading a nice book about a former Earth King during the afternoon when he heard someone approach him.

"Catching up on history?" Azula asked.

Kal El put the book down and got up from his chair. "So you got out of that cell" he said. "You should have left Ba Sing Se when you could have."

"You know I don't give up that easily" Azula said.

"You don't give up at all" Kal El replied. He walked towards Azula to take her to a new cell, when he suddenly felt weak and fell against the table.

"So it does weaken you" Azula said. She took a green rock bracelet out of her pocket and held it up. Azula took pleasure in seeing Kal El's eyes widen, realizing that she knew his weakness. Then Azula punched him with the bracelet, sending him to the floor.

"So what now?" Kal El asked, struggling against the Kryptonite. "Going to kill me?"

"Not yet" Azula said. "You're going to suffer for a while. Then I'll kill you."

Azula put Kal El inside a metal box with more meteor rock inside it. The Dai Li carried it into one of the prison cells while Azula retrieved Ty Lee and Mai. During this time other Dai Li carried out the coup, imprisoning the five generals and the Earth King. The only remaining loose end currently in the city was the blind girl Toph, who had been tracked to a brand new tea shop in the upper ring. In that tea shop Azula learned that Zuko and Iroh were there as well.

Toph had decided to talk with Iroh for a while at The Jasmine Dragon. The shop was busy, so Toph volunteered to help. She would place the orders on the trays and put them on a counter for Zuko to deliver to the customers. When the shop closed for the evening Toph had a long chat with Iroh and Zuko, which she enjoyed. During a conversation about the name for the shop Toph felt a messenger approach the front door.

They let the man inside, and he stopped in front of Iroh. "A message from the royal palace" the man said, handing Iroh a scroll.

"I can't believe it" Iroh said while reading the scroll.

"What is it uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Great news" Iroh said. "We have been invited to serve tea to the Earth King, tonight."

"Excellent, you'll love the guy" Toph said.

Iroh, Zuko, and Toph walked to the palace and arranged the tea set in front of the throne, and waited for King Kuei to arrive. Then Toph felt several Dai Li approach, and warned the others about them. When over a dozen of them circled the tea servers they saw Azula walk in.

"Azula!" Zuko yelled.

"Have you met the Dai Li?" Azula asked. "Their earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's so firebender. I just love it."

"You do realize Kal will be here any second to beat you into the ground?" Toph asked.

"I've already taken care of him" Azula said, showing the green rock bracelet. "He's in no condition to come here and save the day."

Toph immediately earthbended a boulder out of the floor and threw it at Azula. Dai Li intercepted it and threw it aside and then launched their rock gloves at her. Toph blocked with rock walls while Zuko and Iroh sent fireblasts at the Dai Li. Then Azula sent a stream of blue fire while Dai Li threw boulders, which were almost too much to hold back.

"We have to get out of here" Iroh said.

"On it" Toph said. She earthbended the floor beneath themselves and went down. On a lower floor Toph sent the rock they stood on down a hallway towards the wall of the palace. When they reached the palace wall Toph earthbended an opening and they escaped into the palace courtyard.

However the Dai Li had the palace surrounded. Dozens of them saw the improvised exit and moved to intercept. They launched rock gloves with metal chains attached, but Toph was ready for that trick this time. She earthbended the ground beneath herself into a shallow crater and ducked beneath the chains. Then she sent a wave of earth in all directions, tossing the Dai Li off their feet.

Before more Dai Li could arrive Toph lifted up the ground beneath her and sent it forward, carrying Zuko and Iroh with it. She stopped at the wall between the upper and middle rings and rested. They waited for Aang to come back with Sokka and Katara, needing all the help they could get to rescue Kal El. In the middle of the night Zuko spotted Appa flying towards the upper ring, and signaled for him to land.

During Aang's visit with Guru Pathik he had been trying to master the Avatar State by unlocking his chakras. He had been about to unlock his final chakra when he had a vision of Toph being attacked by Dai Li. Unwilling to risk losing Toph again Aang left, and locked the chakra in the process. On his way back to the palace with Katara and Sokka he spotted a signal flare coming from one of the walls.

After Appa landed Aang was relieved to find Toph alright. But the good news was followed by bad news, as Toph explained that Azula knew about Kryptonite. She had Kal El imprisoned somewhere, and they needed to rescue him. They needed to reach Kal El before the Kryptonite would kill him.


	38. Crossroads of Destiny

Chapter 38: Crossroads of Destiny

Kal El was lying on the floor of a cell beneath the palace, held there by Kryptonite scattered in it. He was barely able to move, struggling against the pain. Dai Li were watching the door, just in case someone tried to rescue him. After an hour of lying in the cell Azula came to visit.

"How the mighty have fallen" Azula said. "Not so super now are you." Then she kicked Kal El across the cell.

"Just get to the point" Kal El said. "Don't you have a city to subjugate?"

"Oh that's coming soon enough" Azula said, kicking Kal El's face. "But this is much more satisfying. The unstoppable Kal El brought down before the overshadowed princess."

"If you're under anyone's shadow, it's your father's" Kal El said. "He's a monster, and you're a fool for following him."

"The only fool here is you" Azula said, stepping on Kal El's hand. "All that power you possess, and yet you waste it on the weak. Now look where it got you."

"I chose my side, the right side" Kal El said. "This war will ruin the world, including the Fire Nation."

"What do you care about the world" Azula said, kicking Kal El's gut. "You've got another one to go back to."

"What are you talking about?" Kal El said.

"Don't play stupid, I figured it out" Azula said. "These green rocks came from space, at the same time uncle found you. It doesn't take a genius to realize you came from the same place. You should have stayed where you came from."

"It doesn't exist anymore" Kal El said.

"Come again?" Azula said.

"It's gone" Kal El said. "It was destroyed, and there's nothing left."

Azula grabbed Kal El's hair and lifted him up, then looked directly into Kal El's eyes. "In that case, there's no one left to mourn for you" she said. Then with a green rock bracelet over her knuckles she punched Kal El's face. Satisfied for now Azula left the cell.

She went to the throne room and waited. Then Long Feng and over a dozen Dai Li arrived. Azula had been waiting for this moment, expecting Long Feng to double-cross her. Sure enough that's what he was about to do.

"Now comes the part where I betray you, execute you, and brainwash your cousin into becoming _my_ Super Soldier" Long Feng said. "Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation Princess." However the Dai Li didn't respond to the order. "What is wrong with you?" he asked his men.

"It's because they haven't made up their minds" Azula said. "They're waiting to see how this is going to end."

"What are you talking about?" Long Feng asked.

"I can see your whole history in your eyes" Azula said. "You were born with nothing, so you've had to struggle and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with. The fact is they don't know which of us is going to be sitting on that throne, and which one is going to be bowing down. But I know, and you know."

"No you don't" Long Feng said. "I'm going to take a third option." He reached into his robes, retrieved a glass vial and drank the green liquid inside. Long Feng's skin turned white as chalk and with a smile on his face he punched the air, and sent a green fireblast at Azula.

Azula barely blocked in time with blue fire, not anticipating a fireblast. She retaliated with a stream of blue fire, which was blocked by an earthbended wall. Long Feng threw the wall at Azula and it was followed by green fire. Azula blasted the moving wall and then blocked the green fire with a wall of blue fire. Green and blue fire mixed and melted the floor in front of Azula.

Insulted by this mockery of firebending Azula threw a massive wave of blue fire at Long Feng. While Long Feng blocked Azula charged a lightning blast and fired it. The lightning hit Long Feng in the chest and killed him. When Long Feng's body hit the ground the Dai Li stared at it, and then kneeled before Azula.

"Loser" Azula said.

Meanwhile Ty Lee moved through the lower levels of the palace, heading for the prison cells. When the guards denied her access she hit their pressure points and took the keys. She opened one of the cells and found Kal El lying in it with green rocks scattered in the cell. He was barely conscious and clearly in a lot of pain.

"How are you holding up?" Ty Lee asked.

Barely able to respond Kal El said "lousy."

"Listen, just do what Azula wants" Ty Lee said. "It has to be better than this."

"I can't" Kal El said.

"Why? It can't be worth this" Ty Lee said.

"She wants something I can't give" Kal El said. "She wants me to suffer before she kills me."

Horrified Ty Lee said "But you're family to her."

"That doesn't matter to her" Kal El said. "Did she tell you what I really am? Where I'm from?"

"No she didn't" Ty Lee said.

"I'm not human, not from this world" Kal El explained. "The rocks hurting me are all that's left of my world. I'm the last of my kind. When Azula kills me, that's the end of Krypton."

"Krypton?" Ty Lee said.

"Please Ty Lee, you're a good person" Kal El said. "Don't let her do that."

Ty Lee left the cell and went to find Azula. She found her in the throne room, planning her next move. Mai was in the room as well, keeping the king's bear occupied.

"Where have you been Ty Lee?" Azula asked. "We have important work to do before the Avatar shows up."

"Just getting to know the place we took over" Ty Lee said. "Say, what are you going with your cousin?"

"Oh he'll come around eventually" Azula said "Now that he has an incentive to cooperate."

"Right" Ty Lee said. Then she walked away towards her own room. _Azula always lies_ she thought. When out of Azula's sight she turned down a different hallway, leading back to the prison. _Azula always lies, she can't stop lying, all she says are lies_ she thought on her way back to the prison. She found the guards from earlier about to recover, and re-paralyzed them.

Ty Lee opened Kal El's cell, and found him unconscious. She dragged him out of the cell and away from the Kryptonite. When they were far enough away Kal El woke up, and Ty Lee helped him stand. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better" Kal El said. "Thank you."

"You should do your blur thing and get out of here" Ty Lee suggested.

Kal El tried to run, but tripped after a few steps. Before he could try again the door to the prison area slammed shut, and Ty Lee saw fresh Dai Li on the other side. Kal El slowly walked up to the door and tried to force it open, but only bent the door back a few inches before falling to his knees, exhausted.

"Not good" Kal El said. "Those rocks drained me. I need sunlight."

"Sunlight? But dawn isn't for at least another hour" Ty Lee said. "And those Dai Li are going to warn Azula."

However while the Dai Li were walking away the rock wall next to them exploded. Before they realized what was going on they were attacked with air, water, earth, and firebending. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Iroh had been tunneling through the palace's foundations to bypass the security. After dealing with the Dai Li they stumbled across they ran for the prison, and found the door bent inward a few inches.

"Kal, it's us" Toph said.

"Back away from the door" Zuko said. With a constant stream of fire Zuko melted the door, and when he was finished everyone saw Kal El being held on his feet by Ty Lee.

"What is she doing in there?" Sokka asked.

"It's alright" Kal El said. "She's trying to get me out."

"Are you ok?" Katara asked.

"Just drained, I need to get outside when the sun rises" Kal El said.

"Then we need to move" Iroh said.

"Someone needs to bring down Azula" Zuko said. "We can't leave her in control of Ba Sing Se."

"I agree" Iroh said. "Aang, Zuko, Katara, find her and defeat her. Sokka, Toph, find the Earth King and free him. Ty Lee, you and I will get Kal El out of here."

The team split up and left for their respective tasks. King Kuei was being held in a cell on a higher floor, so Sokka and Toph made their way to him. Iroh and Ty Lee helped Kal El through the tunnel they arrived in. Aang, Katara, and Zuko made their way through the palace hallways, heading for the throne room and took out Dai Li along the way.

In the throne room Azula was waiting when Aang, Katara, and Zuko arrived. "About time you got here Avatar" Azula said. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"Better late than never" Aang said.

"Indeed" Azula said. "Though I'm surprised at you Zuko, I expected this kind of treachery from uncle, but not from _Prince_ Zuko. You are many things, but you're not a traitor."

"Don't listen to her" Katara said.

"It's not too late for you Zuko" Azula said. "You can still redeem yourself."

"Her kind of redemption is not for you" Aang said.

"Side with me Zuko, and you will have your honor back" Azula said. "You will have father's love. You will have everything you want."

Zuko was clearly conflicted. He knew Azula's offer was too good to be true, and yet was far too tempting at the same time. If he fought Azula now he would never get his honor, but if he fought with Azula Kal El would never forgive him. "I'm sorry" Zuko said, and he walked away.

Azula smiled as her brother walked away. _One down, two to go_ she thought, and then sent twin streams of blue fire at Aang and Katara. Aang tried to block with a wall of rock, which was destroyed. Katara bended water from her waterskin and threw a waterwhip at Azula, who blocked with a firewhip. Azula sent a fireblast at Katara, who blocked with a watershield.

Aang sent an airblast at Azula and followed with a thrown boulder. She dodged both attacks, and then propelled herself forward with jets of blue fire. Aang created armor of rock around himself, but wasn't strong enough to shield the fire Azula used at close range. Aang was thrown back and into a wall, but the attack gave Katara an opening. Katara summoned all of the water available and threw it at Azula, covering her in water which Katara then froze into ice.

However before Aang and Katara could enjoy their victory dozens of Dai Li arrived. Most of them sent rock gloves and boulders at them, while other Dai Li freed Azula. Aang was barely able to block the attacks, and Katara was out of water to bend. He knew that he couldn't win here so Aang earthbended a dome around himself and Katara, then earthbended the dome and the floor away from the throne. He plowed through several agents and made to just outside the front doors before being stopped by Dai Li, who shattered Aang's dome.

Outside they could see the sky beginning to brighten in the east, moments away from dawn. But the Dai Li and Azula had them surrounded. With no time to wait for Kal El to recharge with the sun Aang earthbended a thick dome of rock around himself and Katara, then sat down to meditate. Aang let go of his earthly attachments, and entered the Avatar State.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the inner wall Iroh, Ty Lee, and Kal El waited for the sun to rise. Just before dawn Sokka and Toph caught up to them with King Kuei. The King had been guarded by Mai, but she wasn't a match for Toph. The last few moments before the sun rose felt like an eternity. Then the first rays of the sun cleared the horizon, and new life flowed into Kal El. His power returned to him as he bathed in the sun's light. But he had no time to enjoy it, as he heard the sound of lightning being fired.

Kal El ran towards the palace as fast as he could, and saw Aang in the Avatar State rising from the ground. The Dai Li were frozen in fear of the Avatar at his most powerful, and most vulnerable. Azula had gotten behind Aang, and fired lightning at the crack of dawn.

_I'm too late!_ Kal El thought as he saw the lightning move through the air. He had to go around Azula to avoid the Kryptonite on her, and could only watch as the lightning struck Aang in the back and exit through his foot. Aang fell from the air, and Kal El moved in to catch him. As Kal El placed Aang in Katara's arms his eyes started to glow red. Then he turned to face Azula, and there was only one thing he wanted to do to her, and only one thing to say.

**"BURN!"**

Kal El unleashed a concentrated stream of fire from his eyes, narrow and hot enough to appear as a solid red beam. Dai Li got in the way and attempted to earthbend shields, but were only incinerated in the process. Azula tried to block with her own stream of blue fire, but it only slowed Kal El's. At the last second Azula jumped out of the way, the fire just barely missing her skin and set her clothes on fire. The remaining Dai Li fled for their lives, horrified at the sheer destructive power.

Calming down Kal El stopped his attack, and turned to pick up Katara and leave. But she was terrified, scared of what Kal El had just done. Kal El picked up Katara and Aang, then blurred away. He took them to where the others were waiting, and together they flew away on Appa. As they left Ba Sing Se Katara opened the vial of spirit water she possessed and used it on Aang, who came back to life in her arms.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After replacing her clothes and bandaging minor burns Azula found Zuko in their uncle's tea shop. She told him the Avatar was dead, and that he could finally return home. By allowing her to deal with the Avatar he had restored his own honor, and that their father would understand why he couldn't capture him. The Earth Kingdom had fallen, and the Fire Nation would accept both royal siblings as heroes.


	39. Aftermath

Chapter 39: Aftermath

By noon Appa landed in Chameleon Bay where the Water Tribe warriors were stationed. During the night the warriors had ambushed the Fire Navy and captured one of their ships. They were surprised to see Appa land on the beach so soon after he left last night. Then their surprise turned to horror when they saw Aang wounded and being carried by Kal El.

Kal El brought Aang into a medical tent, where Katara followed with water. Aang was placed on a mat face down, and Katara started to use her healing ability on the wound in Aang's back. She had to take it slow because one wrong move could kill him. While Katara worked Kal El left the tent and walked to the edge of the beach.

Katara refused to look Kal El in the eyes. She tried to hide it, but Kal El scared her. It was those red eyes that burned those Dai Li after Aang was struck down, they never stood a chance. She could still smell the charred remains of those people that tried to block him, killed simply for getting in the way of Kal El's wrath.

Sokka explained what happened to his father, who realized the severity of the situation. With the fall of Ba Sing Se it was no longer safe or practical for the Water Tribe to remain in Chameleon Bay. But with the Earth Kingdom under Fire Nation control they needed a new plan to use on the Day of Black Sun. Sokka suggested hiding until that day in the last place the Fire Nation would be looking for them. The Fire Nation itself.

The warriors were suspicious of Iroh and Ty Lee's presence in the camp, despite Toph vouching for them. Ty Lee attempted to earn their trust by explaining her chi-blocking technique, and offering to show them how to do it. Some of the warriors liked the idea, since it would make capturing and interrogating the enemy more efficient. Iroh won over the rest with a specialty blend of jasmine tea.

Meanwhile Kal El was at the edge of the water, skipping rocks across the surface. The thrown rocks made it to the other side of the bay and imbedded themselves in the shore. His thoughts kept going back to last night, how he failed to save Aang, and how he killed those agents and was going to kill Azula in retaliation. He didn't notice Iroh approach.

"Are you alright son?" Iroh asked.

Kal El crushed a rock in his hand. "No" he said.

"If you want to talk, I'm here for you" Iroh said.

"I was going to do it" Kal El said.

"Do what?" Iroh asked.

"I was going to kill her" Kal El said. "Right then and there, I was going to kill Azula. For that moment, I was no better than her or her father."

"We all have moments of weakness" Iroh said. "How we deal with them defines who we are."

"I'm not sure who I am anymore" Kal El said. "You raised me as Fire Nation, but that's not what I really am. My body is Kryptonian, but I never lived it. I have so much power, but I failed to protect Aang. I don't know what to do."

"You must ask yourself the big questions" Iroh said. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

When Kal El didn't answer Iroh turned back to the camp. He helped the Water Tribe warriors pack everything onto the stolen Fire Nation ship, and by sunset everything but the medical tent was loaded. That tent had to remain where it was, for Aang was in no condition to be moved. Katara walked out of the tent, tired from spending hours slowly healing Aang's wound.

Katara walked down by the beach, and found Kal El still there lost in thought. Katara turned to leave him alone, but stopped when Kal El asked "How is he?"

"Stable" Katara said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to him in time" Kal El said. "And I'm sorry you had to see my dark side."

"Your Dark Side!" Katara yelled. "You killed those people that couldn't defend themselves. You were terrifying!"

"I know" Kal El said. "I was so angry I became what I feared most. I was the living weapon of the Fire Lord, burning everything in sight, _literally_. No better than Azula, the little monster Ozai always wanted."

"Is that the real reason you won't fight the Fire Lord yourself?" Katara asked. "You don't want to become him?"

"Power corrupts, and who has more power than me" Kal El said. "It would be so easy for me to take his place and rule with an iron fist. If I take the first step down that path, I don't know if I could ever stop."

"You would stop" Katara said. "You did stop in Ba Sing Se."

"Does that really matter?" Kal El said. "The people are terrified enough from the Fire Lord. It would only get worse if he were beaten by some Superman."

"Maybe a Superman is what we really need" Katara said. "The world thinks Aang is dead, and that all hope died with him. They need a beacon of hope. If you have to take someone's place, then take Aang's until he can recover."

_They only lack the light to show the way_ Kal El remembered. Then he remembered rescuing that child from the fire in Ba Sing Se, and that helping others had felt right. "It's Aang's destiny to save the world, right?" Kal El asked. "Well I was never one to believe in destiny."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In Ba Sing Se Azula changed the bandages on her burns. She didn't like to admit it, but had she been any slower she would have been killed instead of burned. Azula arranged a little date for Mai and Zuko to get their attention away from her so she could privately deal with the burns. She had no idea where Ty Lee ran off to, and sent Dai Li agents to find her.

With fresh bandages applied and hidden under her clothes Azula walked to the throne room. She planned to leave Ba Sing Se soon and needed to pick someone to manage the city in her place. The highest ranking Dai Li were there and bowed to Azula as she took her seat on the throne.

"So are there any volunteers among you for the job?" Azula asked. An agent in his twenties stepped forward and gave a deep bow. "And you are?"

"Luthor" he said. "Lachlan Luthor, and it would be an honor to serve as governor of your city."

"And what can you offer for this position?" Azula asked.

"I studied directly under Long Feng" Luthor explained. "I had plans in motion to replace him, but you beat me to it."

"Really, and how were you going to do that?" Azula asked.

"Simple, I was going to lace his food and drink with liquid meteor rock" Luthor explained. "That stuff is toxic when ingested and it would appear to be an extreme case of City Sickness."

"Yes the plague this city has" Azula said. "How is it spread?"

"The meteor rocks" Luthor said. "The Avatar discovered that proximity to the rocks damages the body, to the extent that not even waterbenders can fully heal it."

_So much for lining the palace walls with it_ Azula thought. "Bring me everything the Dai Li know about the meteor rocks. The rest of you are dismissed" she said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The next morning the Water Tribe warriors were ready to leave Chameleon Bay. Kal El had carried Aang onto the stolen Fire Nation ship and placed him on a bed inside it. The ship was ready to go and Katara would be able to treat Aang's wound on the way to the Fire Nation. An hour before noon the ship set sail.

Kal El stood at the front of the ship, staring out to the water. He was thinking about what to do when Toph walked up from behind.

"What's up?" Toph asked.

"Just wondering how I can make things right" Kal El said.

"You could carry Aang to your clubhouse and use some space age tech to heal him" Toph said.

"He wouldn't survive the trip" Kal El said.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Toph asked.

"Well I have been thinking of one option" Kal El said.

"Are you going to run up to the Fire Lord and beat him up?" Toph asked.

"No, that wouldn't be enough" Kal El said. "I was thinking more like crippling the Fire Nation war effort."

"What would that accomplish?" Toph asked.

"If I can make the war unwinnable the people will want it to end" Kal El explained. "Unacceptable setbacks will erode the Fire Lord's support. Maybe even force the military to withdraw."

"Then go for it" Toph said. "Make them think twice before messing with the Man of Metal."

Kal El blurred off the ship and headed for Ba Sing Se. The outer wall had been opened by the Dai Li and the Fire Nation army was marching for it. The soldiers believed they were going to occupy the city unopposed now that Azula had taken control of it. They never saw Kal El coming, and he blurred through the ranks. He destroyed their weapons, their tanks, their supplies, everything needed to occupy a city. But he let the soldiers live, then used firevision to burn a large S in a diamond symbol into the wall for everyone to see.

For three weeks Kal El moved from one Fire Nation controlled area to the next, destroying their equipment and then leaving the S symbol as his mark. He removed occupiers from towns and villages, using the symbol to tell the people who had freed them. But he didn't let anyone see his face, and let rumors of a mysterious 'blur' spread.

Kal El was amused at some of the rumors. There were people that believed the 'blur' was the Avatar's spirit seeking revenge before reincarnating. Others thought the Avatar Cycle had broken and the 'blur' was the spirit world punishing them. The Fire Nation tried to silence the rumors, but only encouraged speculation in the process. Some of the people started to copy the S symbol and display it on their clothes, showing support for the mysterious fighter against the Fire Nation.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

During the three weeks Azula and Zuko returned to the Fire Nation. They were welcomed as heroes, but their victory celebrations were short-lived. The good news of their victory was spoiled by the bad news of the 'blur' rampaging in the Earth Kingdom. It was already becoming difficult to maintain the occupation of the continent. The territories of little importance had to be abandoned to support the vital points between the original colonies and Ba Sing Se.

Azula knew the 'blur' had to be Kal El. She brought several Dai Li with her to the Fire Nation, along with as much meteor rock that they were willing to bring. The agents refused to transport more than a minimum amount, not willing to potentially spread City Sickness across the world. Azula noticed that the inside of Ba Sing Se had been spared from the rampage, showing that Kal El was staying away from the green rocks. However she didn't tell her father about them, keeping _that_ secret for herself. She wanted to bring down Kal El herself, not her father.

Zuko didn't know what to think anymore. His father had welcomed him home, satisfied that the Avatar had been slain. But Kal El was out there ruining his father's vision for the world, where all the lands were Fire Nation. And while Ozai tried to hide it, Zuko could see that his father was scared. Scared of Kal El's power turned against him, scared of his wrath. In secret Zuko wanted Kal El to win, but knew he couldn't openly support him.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

On the stolen Fire Nation ship the Water Tribe warriors sailed towards the Fire Nation. There were few patrol ships in their way, since most of them were redeployed to support the occupation of Ba Sing Se. On their way out of the Earth Kingdom they found Pipsqueak and The Duke, two of Jet's former freedom fighters.

Near the end of three long weeks of unconsciousness, Aang finally woke up on the Fire Nation ship. He panicked when he saw the Fire Nation symbols inside the room, and tried to escape. When he got to the top of the ship he found Katara and the others in Fire Nation disguises, and nearly fainted.

Sokka explained what was going on, and how Aang being 'dead' meant that the Fire Nation wouldn't be hunting them anymore. They also had Kal El causing general chaos for the army, keeping them occupied. He had even sunk enough ships to breach the Fire Nation blockade, allowing the stolen ship to enter Fire Nation waters safely.

Aang didn't like the thought of being 'dead' to the world. He felt like a failure, abandoning the world again. When they were past the blockade Aang flew away on his glider, feeling like he needed to face the Fire Lord alone. But his injuries caused him to fall into the sea, and wash up on the Shore of Crescent Island. Roku appeared to him, and told him how the war was partially his own fault, having not acted when he could have.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph caught up with Aang on Appa. They told Aang that they weren't going to let him do this alone. Aang realized that it was better for the world to think he was dead, and to let Kal El give the world hope in his place. Sokka explained that the Water Tribe warriors would be gathering allies for the Day of Black Sun, and that Iroh had something planned for that day as well. Sokka wasn't able to get specifics out of the old man, just that it involved some old friends.

_A/N: I'm aware that the Avatar comics state that Azula put one of the Joo Dee's in charge of Ba Sing Se. I never liked that, and couldn't resist putting a Luthor in charge._


	40. The Headband

Chapter 40: The Headband

Using an artificial cloud to hide Appa, he flew towards an island in the Fire Nation. After landing Sokka complained that everyone was being too loud, and that there were 'enemy birds' nearby. After hiding Appa in a cave Katara suggested they get some Fire Nation clothes to blend in with. So they stole several outfits from an unattended clothesline. Aang used a headband to cover up the arrow on his forehead.

Just before they entered the town, Kal El arrived, wearing suitable Fire Nation clothes, red and black colors. "Glad to see you're back among the living" Kal El said.

"Good to be back" Aang said. Trying to blend in using what he knew about the Fire Nation from a hundred years ago Aang said "Now let's get something to eat, hotman."

"You didn't just say that?" Kal El said.

"Something wrong with hotman?" Aang asked.

"Yea, it's slang for… oh never mind" Kal El said. "Just forget everything you knew about Fire Nation culture from a hundred years ago."

"Do I have to?" Aang asked.

"Things have changed a lot" Kal El said. "You might insult someone without realizing it."

"Okay I'll follow your lead then" Aang said.

Everyone entered the town and found a place to eat. But since everything there was meat Aang stayed outside, being a vegetarian. However a few guards recognized Aang's outfit as a school uniform, and forced him into a classroom. He claimed his name was Kuzon, and the teacher accepted it. While school was the last place he expected to be, Aang enjoyed it.

During a break between classes the students were allowed to roam the courtyard. A girl named On Ji approached. "I like your headband" she said.

Then a taller boy came in and pushed Aang aside and placed his arm around On Ji. "You don't have to babysit the new kid" he said.

"You must be one of those popular kids I've heard about" Aang said.

"Not so much anymore" On Ji said, pushing the boy away. "Not since the 'blur' became popular."

"Um, what's the 'blur'" Aang asked.

"Please, there's no such thing as the 'blur' On Ji" the boy said. "It's just a myth from the colonies."

"He's no myth" On Ji said.

"But what exactly is he?" Aang asked.

"They say he's faster than a speeding eel hound, more powerful than a hundred tanks, and can leap the walls of Ba Sing Se in a single bound" On Ji described.

"Wow" Aang said. _Kal's been busy_ he thought. "What do you think about him?

"Well…" On Ji said. Then whispering into Aang's ear she said "I think he's super."

After school ended Aang walked back to the cave. He told everyone about the school, and that he actually enjoyed it. Sokka thought it was dangerous, Toph didn't care, Katara was okay with it, Kal El found it pointless. However Aang was certain, and convinced them to stay a few more days while he attended school.

The next day at school Aang screwed up the Fire Nation oath, questioned the Fire Nation version of history, disrupted music class, and humiliated a student without making a single strike. This caught the attention of the school principal, who ordered Aang to bring his parents for a conference in the afternoon.

Using the aliases 'Wang Fire' and 'Sapphire Fire' Sokka and Katara posed as the parents of 'Kuzon'. Sokka played his part a little too well, appearing to be a harsh father which satisfied the principal's standards. Afterwards Sokka tried to use the role to stop Aang from going back to school, who refused. Kal El asked Aang to be reasonable, as he would eventually be caught if he kept going back there. So Aang compromised, suggesting that they throw a dance party for the students and then leave.

To prepare for the dance party Toph earthbended the cave into a suitable shape. Then Kal El placed dozens of candles around the cave at super-speed, and then lit them all with firevision. Appa hid in the back of the cave, far enough to not be seen but close enough to enjoy the music. When the students arrived the school band started playing their music.

To get the students dancing Aang showed off several styles that were popular a hundred years ago. One particular move caught On Ji's attention, and she tried it with Aang. With a handful of students dancing Kal El stepped in, showing contemporary styles used by the nobility. Together Aang and Kal El got the rest of the students dancing, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

"Who knew Twinkletoes and Metalman could dance?" Toph said.

Then Aang walked over to Katara and offered her his hand. She took it and danced with Aang, improvising their style. At the same time Kal El offered to dance with Toph, who accepted. She used a style meant for Earth Kingdom nobles, which complemented Kal El's style from Fire Nation royalty. Together they competed with Aang and Katara, providing entertainment for all of the students.

As they danced officials from the school arrived, having been informed by the bully Aang beat without fighting. Kal El heard them coming and discretely left the dance floor. When he was out of sight he blurred outside and intercepted the school officials, carrying them all to the opposite end of the island. When he was finished he went back to the cave and resumed the dance with Toph. This action confused and aggravated the officials, prompting them to run back to the cave. Kal El had to carry them away three more times before they got the message to go home.

The dance party lasted throughout the night, and when everybody left in the morning the cave was a mess. Everyone had a good time, and the students felt better about themselves as they left. Aang declared the dance party a success and then everyone left the island on Appa. Everyone felt good about themselves as they left.

"Well that was fun" Kal El said.

"So did Kal and I win?" Toph asked.

"Wait, we were competing?" Katara asked.

"Well you don't really win or lose in dancing" Aang said.

"That's loser talk" Toph said. "And that means we did win."


	41. Red

_A/N: I was going to do a chapter for The Painted Lady, but it turned out as little more than a summary of the episode with a few extra bits regarding Kal El. Since it has very little to do with the actual plot and is little more than filler, I'm moving on to the next event._

Chapter 41: Red

At a new campsite, everyone was up during the night. A meteor shower was lighting up the night sky. Most of the meteors were burning up in the air, leaving nothing to impact the ground. Kal El was trying to look into the meteors as they passed, checking for Kryptonite. Unlike the meteors that hit Ba Sing Se, these appeared to be clean.

Then one meteor passed right over their heads, large enough to reach the ground. It made impact between their camp and a town. The heat from the impact set the area on fire, which threatened to destroy the town. Kal El blurred to the impact site and blew out the fire. Then everyone else arrived on Appa.

"I don't suppose there's a ship in the crater?" Toph asked.

"Let's find out" Kal El said.

He walked into the crater, and found the meteorite resting in the center. Kal El walked up to it and tore it in two. There was a vein of red rock inside, and the rest was odd metal ore. He grabbed a chunk of the red rock, and for a moment his eyes flashed red. He pocketed the rock in his shirt and motioned for everyone else to come near.

"Looks like just a piece of space junk" Kal El said.

"Is that ruby in there?" Sokka asked. He picked up a piece and gnawed on it. "Maybe we could sell it and buy a fancy dinner for once."

"What, you don't like my cooking?" Katara asked.

"Well I have had better" Kal El said.

"Of course _you _have, having lived in a palace" Katara said.

"Anyone else in the mood for smoked sea slug?" Kal El asked, ignoring Katara. "I think there's a place in town with that as their specialty."

The next morning everyone stopped at the town, and there was a place that sold smoked sea slug. They ate at the place for breakfast, and bartered some the red rock to pay for the food. They had plenty of the rock from the meteor, and would last quite a while if every shopkeeper assumed it was real ruby. While they ate Sokka sat off to the side, sulking.

"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night" Aang said.

"Yea" Toph said. "The worst thing about being in disguise is we don't get the hero worship anymore."

"Boo Hoo, poor heroes" Sokka said.

"What's your problem?" Katara asked.

"It's just, all you guys can do this awesome stuff and I can't" Sokka said. "I can't do anything."

"That's not true" Katara said.

"Actually it is" Kal El said.

"That's not helping" Katara said.

"Hey maybe if Sokka got something new it would cheer him up?" Aang suggested.

"Ok, let's go shopping" Kal El said.

Sokka perked up at that idea. Everyone went to a weapons store, and Sokka experimented with different items. While Sokka browsed the weapons Aang tried on a massive set of overcomplicated armor, and fell over in it. Then Sokka spotted an expensive sword, which the shopkeeper said was made by the sword master Piandao.

"Maybe that's what you need" Aang said. "A master."

"Yea, and Piandao might actually train you" Kal El said. "He's known for selecting people to train at random, and you're as random as they come."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sokka asked.

"Just go see him already" Kal El said.

Sokka traveled to Piandao's home alone. The butler let him inside and introduced Sokka to Piandao. When asked to prove his worth Sokka admitted that he had much to learn. Piandao was impressed by Sokka's humility, and agreed to train him.

Meanwhile the others went back to the campsite. It was too hot to do anything productive and they couldn't leave without Sokka. Kal El left to spend an hour helping people in the Earth Kingdom, but came back early.

"Finished already?" Katara asked.

"The army is finally starting to take the hint that they aren't wanted" Kal El said. "Strip them in a flash and they flee like drowned rats."

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Aang asked.

"They conquer and pillage needlessly" Kal El said. "They got off easy."

"So what are you going to do now?" Toph asked.

"Well I found this place with great sea food" Kal El said. "I wouldn't mind spending lunch there with a certain someone. Interested Toph?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Toph asked.

"Sure, why not?" Kal El said.

Then Kal El picked up Toph and blurred away. He carried her across the ocean and into one of the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. He stopped in front of a fancy diner where the wealthy attended.

"I thought I told you to ask before doing that!" Toph yelled.

"Slipped my mind" Kal El said.

"Where are we anyway?" Toph asked.

"The finest restaurant this side of the Great Divide" Kal El said.

"Sounds expensive" Toph said.

"Don't worry about that" Kal El said. He walked inside with Toph and handed several gold coins to a waiter. They were given a table in a private room and allowed to order right away. Kal El ordered the most expensive sea food on the menu, and encouraged Toph to treat herself.

"Won't this blow all of our money?" Toph asked. "Sokka won't be happy."

"Oh what Sokka doesn't know won't hurt him" Kal El said.

After they ate Kal El paid the waiter and gave an overly generous tip. Then Kal El and Toph went for a stroll in the marketplace. Kal El bought random pieces of jewelry for Toph, who tried to insist that she didn't need it.

"Okay I have to ask" Toph said. "Where did you get all this money from?"

"Just a donation from the army" Kal El said.

"You _stole _it?" Toph said.

"They didn't deserve to have it" Kal El said.

"So you just took it?" Toph said.

"It was easy" Kal El said. "No one even noticed I was there."

"Just don't do it too often" Toph said. "You may be invulnerable but the rest of us aren't."

"I know…" Kal El said. He was about to say more when three guards started harassing a merchant nearby. They were complaining about substandard produce, and the merchant was terrified.

"This looks like a job for the Blur" Toph said.

Instead of taking out the guards at super-speed, Kal El walked up to them. Then he shoved two of them away in opposite directions, startling the third guard. He grabbed the guard's collar and threw him into the merchant's produce.

"MY CABBAGES!"

"What was that for?" Toph yelled.

"I don't like cabbages" Kal El said.

"So you toss a guard into them?" Toph said. "What's gotten into you?"

"Just having a little fun" Kal El said.

"Well I think you've had enough" Toph said. "Take me back the others, now!"

"Fine…" Kal El said.

He picked up Toph and blurred back the Fire Nation. He dropped off Toph at the campsite and left to find something to do.

"So how was it?" Aang asked.

"Good until Kal started acting like a jerk" Toph said.

"What did he do?" Katara asked.

"He threw a guard into a cabbage stand" Toph explained.

"That doesn't sound like him" Aang said.

"He also stole money from the army, and carelessly spent it" Toph said.

"Now that is not Kal" Katara said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but he admitted it" Toph said.

"We'll need to talk to him when he comes back" Aang said.

They waited for hours, but Kal El didn't show up. Sokka returned in the afternoon, and already looked more confident after training with Piandao. He was ready to make his own sword, and asked Piandao if he could use his own materials. Sokka wanted to make his sword out of the meteorite from last night, but needed help moving it to Piandao's.

"Okay Toph, ready to bend space earth?" Sokka asked.

"Wait, if it's from space then it's not really earth" Katara wondered.

"As long as it's not Kryptonite I'm pretty sure it's still earth" Sokka said.

Toph earthbended the meteorite out of the crater, but pieces of the red rock from inside it remained behind. Then she tried to earthbend those out, but they didn't respond. "Please tell me those aren't green" Toph asked.

"No they're red" Aang said.

"Red rocks that don't earthbend?" Sokka wondered.

"Could it be Kryptonite?" Katara asked.

"No, Kal was right up to this and didn't fall over" Sokka said.

"If it's a different color, maybe it does something else?" Aang speculated.

"It makes him a jerk" Toph said.

"What?" Sokka asked.

"I'm serious" Toph said. "He's been acting different since this rock landed."

"Then we better get rid of it" Sokka said. "Toph, can you earthbend the meteorite into itty bitty pieces."

"Yup" Toph said. She walked up to the two large pieces and brought her fists down, shattering them. Sokka removed the red rocks that didn't break with the meteorite and set them aside. Toph earthbended the ground beneath the red rocks and sent them underground, then reformed the meteorite into one big stone.

With the red rock removed from the meteorite they pushed it to Piandao's. The sword master was intrigued, since making swords from such a material was a very rare experience. Immediately they got to work forging a sword from the meteorite, which Sokka named Space Sword.

During the afternoon Piandao complemented Sokka's progress, and handed him the Space Sword. Then Sokka admitted that he lied about his identity to receive training. Piandao attacked Sokka, and they dueled outside. Piandao complemented Sokka's improvising during the fight, which he eventually won after disarming Sokka.

When Sokka was down Piandao sheathed his sword. He explained how he knew all along that Sokka was Water Tribe, and that it didn't matter when passing on the ways of the sword. He believed Sokka would become a great swordsman someday, and maybe surpass himself one day. When Piandao was finished everyone heard clapping coming from the edge of the courtyard.

"Nice speech" Kal El said. "The fight wasn't half bad either, though you did go a bit too easy on him."

"You were watching the whole time?" Sokka asked.

"Well I wasn't going to miss the great Piandao in action" Kal El said. "Of course he could have won anytime he wanted to."

"You noticed that" Piandao said.

"Of course I did" Kal El said. "You're the man that beat a hundred soldiers singlehandedly without having to kill any of them. Sokka didn't stand a chance unless you wanted him to."

"That isn't helping your friend's self esteem" Piandao said.

"What do I care?" Kal El said. "Even with a sword he's still the normal person of the group." Then he blurred past Sokka and took his Space Sword. Examining the black blade he said "Though this sword is pretty sweet."

"Give that back" Sokka said.

"Make me" Kal El replied.

"Knock it off Kal!" Toph yelled. "Something's wrong with you!"

"Please…" Kal El said.

"I'm serious" Toph said. "It's that red rock from the meteor. It's affecting you somehow."

"You mean this?" Kal El said as he took a red rock out of his pocket. "I already figured that out, and I like it."

"You have to get rid of it" Katara said.

"No" Kal El said putting the stone back in his pocket. "For once I'm actually having fun."

"So it's fun to steal from your own friends?" Aang asked.

"Not anymore" Kal El said and tossed away the Space Sword.

"Good, now just throw the rock away and we can go back to planning the invasion" Sokka said.

"About that plan, I'm tired of waiting for an eclipse" Kal El said. "Later." Then he blurred away.

"That can't be good" Aang said.

Kal El ran all the way to the Fire Nation capital. He looked through the palace walls, searching for Azula and Ozai. He found Ozai in the throne room, but no sign of Azula. However her room had some Kryptonite in it blocking his vision, so it was possible she was in there. He found it odd that only Azula's room had Kryptonite, expecting her to spread it throughout the palace to prevent exactly what he was about to do.

He blurred in through the main doors of the palace as a nobleman was entering. No one saw him enter, and he ran for the armory behind the throne room. Kal El looked through the wall and saw Ozai talking with his advisors. With a smile on his face Kal El tore the wall away, then ripped the throne off the floor with Ozai still in it, and tossed it across the throne room.

The advisors were shocked, no idea how to respond. Kal El blurred past each of them and knocked them out. Then Ozai stood up, his hands covered in fire.

"Like that's going to work" Kal El said.

"What do you want?" Ozai said.

Kal El blurred behind Ozai and shoved him across the room. "Just making certain you know that I can take you down whenever I want." Then he grabbed Ozai's arm and threw him into a wall. "You can't hurt me, you can't stop me, you can't win." Then Kal El forced Ozai to the floor and placed a foot on his chest.

"Then why don't you finish it?" Ozai asked.

"Because I'm having too much fun" Kal El said. Then he used firevision on the floor just to the right of Ozai's head. "I could burn your face for what you did to Zuko, but that would be insulting to his scar." With a kick to Ozai's side he was sent sliding across the room.

Ozai stood up wearily. Then he instantly charged and fired a lightning blast at Kal El, who dodged it effortlessly. "Didn't Azula tell you that she tried that?" Kal El said. "It didn't work for her, it won't work for you." Then Kal El blurred forward and punched Ozai in the chest, the force sending him into a wall and denting it.

Then Ozai started laughing. "You're finally thinking like my replacement" he said. Suddenly Ozai found Kal El's hand at his throat and being lifted into the air.

"I am _Nothing_ like you!" Kal El yelled. "If I wanted to I could have this world on its knees before me. But I choose not to. I choose to let the people decide their own fate."

As a final act of defiance, Ozai firebended at point blank range. He put all he had left into the attack, but only succeeded in destroying Kal El's shirt. The red rock in it fell to the floor, and its effects on Kal El vanished.

Kal El returned to his senses, and was horrified at what he was about to do. He dropped Ozai and left, blurring back to his friends. They saw that his shirt was missing, and that the red rock had to be gone as well. He explained what he did, and what he had been about to do before he stopped.

"Can you forgive me?" Kal El asked.

"You weren't yourself" Katara said. "That rock affected your mind."

"It's just, I wanted to do those things" Kal El said. "I wanted them and so I did, with no regards to the consequences."

"Yea, you were a jerk" Toph said.

"I'm sorry" Kal El said.

"At least we got rid of the rest of the rock" Sokka said.

"What about the pieces we sold for food?" Aang asked.

Sokka slapped his forehead. "Crap, I forgot about those."

"We'll just have to be extra careful if we spot anything that looks like ruby" Katara said.

"Or just keep it away from me" Kal El said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the Fire Nation palace Fire Lord Ozai was being attended to by his private physician. There was no permanent damage, but he would have to keep out of the public eye for a while. He couldn't let the people know that he had been assaulted in his own palace, and especially not by the rumored 'Blur'. He had the throne room sealed off to prevent anyone from spotting the damage to it.

When Azula heard the throne room was off limits she knew she had to get inside it. She had just gotten back from her forced vacation to Ember Island, and was curious about her father's decrees. Azula used a secret passage to bypass the guards, and got inside the throne room. She saw the back wall had been torn open, which had been hastily patched. The throne itself was lying across the room, torn at the bottom.

_Kal was here_ Azula thought. _But why would he come and not finish father?_ It didn't make sense to Azula, since Kal El wasn't the type for casual torment. Then she spotted burned scraps of clothing and a red rock on the floor. She picked it up, wondering where it came from. When Azula left the throne room she took the red rock with her.

_A/N: The effects of Red Kryptonite were only used consistently in Smallville, which is the version I used here._


	42. The Avatar the Firelord and the Traveler

_A/N: I was originally going to skip this one, but then I realized this chapter would make a good mini-crossover set during Roku's life. Enjoy._

Chapter 42: The Avatar, the Firelord, and the Traveler

In the middle of the night, Aang was contacted by Avatar Roku in his sleep. Roku asked Aang to come to his home island on the summer solstice, so he could learn how the war began. On the solstice Appa flew to the island, which was covered in old volcanic ash. Aang found a suitable spot to meditate, and when he entered the spirit world he was greeted by Roku on his dragon.

While Aang's body remained still Kal El ran north. With Aang learning about his past Kal El felt that he should do the same, and the only place for that was the Fortress of Solitude. He had put off learning about his heritage for far too long. Once inside the Fortress Kal El told it to transport him to where the records were kept, and he found himself inside a room with large screens on the walls.

"How do I access the records?" Kal El asked.

"_State requested files."_

"Ok, where there any Kryptonians on this world during Sozin's reign as Fire Lord?" Kal El asked.

"_Affirmative, Captain Lor-Zod was stationed on Earth during that time period."_

"Did he leave any journals?" Kal El asked.

"_Affirmative, displaying now."_

One of the screens lit up, and revealed a young man's face with short black hair and brown eyes. "Ensign Lor-Zod's log, stardate 41599, outpost 87-Y-3, I have made contact with the locals under a human identity and have begun evaluation of their society's potential. Their Avatar has reincarnated into the Fire Nation and I will be attending the ceremony that reveals its identity."

Suddenly the image on the screen vanished, and the room suddenly changed into a grand hall from the Fire Nation. Then the hall was filled with dozens of people, with two teens at the front. "Holographic-Memory log stardate 41600, this is where I met the Avatar and his friend Prince Sozin. I introduced myself as a representative of the other three nations, and quickly gained the trust of Avatar Roku."

Kal El was amazed at the recreation of another person's memories. He watched Lor-Zod observe the Fire Sages approach Roku and Sozin, then reveal that Roku was the Avatar. The people bowed to Roku, and then Lor-Zod introduced himself to Roku.

Then the scene changed, turning into a representation of the Southern Air Temple. Kal El stood next to an image of Lor-Zod at the top of the mountain, observing airbenders below. "Under the simple name of Zod I followed Avatar Roku on his journey. Using the power of the yellow sun I was able to observe him unnoticed."

Then the scene changed to a beach, with Roku in his late twenties standing near the water. Lor-Zod was older as well, and watching Roku bend all four elements at once. "Stardate 41720, with Avatar Roku's training complete I revealed what I really was to him. As part of Yan-El's agreement with Avatar Fong I was required to inform Roku of the Kryptonian outpost on his world, and the existence of life among the stars."

"It's a little hard to believe" Roku said.

"Watch and learn Roku" Lor-Zod said. Then his eyes glowed red and fire emerged from them and shot out into the sea. Then he jumped into the air, high enough to not be seen from the ground, and when he came down the impact left a massive crater in the ground. And finally he blurred away, and returned a minute later carrying an Air Nomad's staff, a Water Tribe spear, An Earth Kingdom hat, and a Fire Nation sword.

"Does all of your kind possess such power?" Roku asked.

"Only under the light of a yellow sun" Lor-Zod explained. "Krypton orbits a red sun, and there we are no more powerful than a human without bending."

"Then how are you here?" Roku asked.

"While we may not have powers or bending on our world, we have access to very advanced technology" Lor-Zod said. "We developed a system of World-Gates, which allow us to travel between worlds like you step through a doorway."

"Such power, it's unbelievable" Roku said. "It would be trivially easy for you to threaten the balance of the world."

"Yes, but you do not need to worry about that" Lor-Zod said. "We do not directly interfere in other races' development until they achieve space travel. Until that time comes we merely wait and listen for threats your world is not prepared to handle."

"What kind of threats?" Roku asked.

"The stars are filled with wonders you cannot possibly imagine, and terrors to freeze your soul" Lor-Zod described. "It's filled with treasures to satiate desires, but it's not for the timid."

The scene changed again, turning into a grand hall filled with people from the Fire Nation. "Stardate 41725, having fulfilled my obligation to Avatar Roku I prepared to return to Krypton, but Roku asked me to take part in his wedding ceremony. I could not refuse, and attended as one of his groomsmen. The ceremony was a simple affair by Kryptonian standards, but I enjoyed myself in the simple pleasures present."

Using his super-hearing, Lor-Zod listened in on Roku and Sozin's conversation. Sozin wanted Roku's assistance in spreading the glory of the Fire Nation across the world, but Roku refused and demanded that Sozin never bring up the matter again. Lor-Zod dismissed the conversation as none of his concern, and went back to enjoying himself.

With another scene change they were near an Earth Kingdom city, with a Fire Nation tapestry covering the symbol of Earth on the wall. Lor-Zod appeared to be twenty-five, and had grown a short beard. He was wearing a black suit, with a silver 'Z' symbol on his chest representing the House of Zod. "Stardate 41850, after negotiating a trade agreement with New Genesis and a promotion to Lieutenant I was assigned to Earth again. I took the assignment without question, having missed the simple life I had created among humans. However Fire Lord Sozin had brought Earth to the brink of war, and if I did not stop it now the High Council would recall me and seal Earth's World-Gate."

Lor-Zod saw Avatar Roku approach the occupied city on his dragon. When Roku's dragon turned to bring Roku to the Fire Nation Lor-Zod left the area. The scene blurred as he moved, almost instantly changing into the Fire Nation palace. Lor-Zod arrived before Roku, and barged into Sozin's throne room to confront the Fire Lord before Roku could arrive.

"Who dares enter my palace uninvited" Sozin demanded.

"A friend of your Avatar" Lor-Zod said. "And I am here to warn you that he is coming here. You have defied his will, and have incurred his wrath. Send the order to remove your forces occupying Earth Kingdom territory, and he will forgive this trespassing."

"You barge into my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to obey you?" Sozin said. He stood up from his throne and said "I am Fire Lord here, you will bow before me."

"Zod does not bow before primitives."

Insulted, Sozin fired a massive wave of fire at Lor-Zod, enough to fill the entire room with flames. When Sozin was finished the flames receded, and Lor-Zod was only annoyed. Suddenly Lor-Zod was behind Sozin. "Primitives…" he said and tossed Sozin across the room. Before Sozin could hit the floor Lor-Zod intercepted and caught him. "Kneel…" he said and punched Sozin's stomach, bringing him to his knees. "Before Zod!" he yelled and kicked Sozin across the room and into the throne.

Lor-Zod left the palace as Roku arrived, letting Roku speak with a battered and bruised Fire Lord. Roku destroyed the palace as a warning to Sozin, who was in no condition to oppose Roku. Then the scene changed, turning into a small Fire Nation town Lor-Zod standing with a tall woman with long black hair. His beard had grown a few inches, with a few streaks of gray.

"Stardate 42100, after receiving the rank of Captain I decided to make one last visit to Earth. I abandoned my original persona among the humans, as I did not appear to be the correct age among them. I had only intended to give my final farewell to Avatar Roku before passing on the post to a young Ensign. But I made a mistake that ended my career. I fell in love."

"Avatar Roku had introduced me to Li Mei, and she impressed me. Unlike most humans on this planet, Li Mei was intelligent, and had she been born on Krypton she would have been one of our greatest scientists. I enjoyed her company, and for once in my life I felt whole."

Then the town was replaced with a single room, with Lor-Zod and Li Mei inside. And she was carrying a baby. "We had a child, one that I knew was forbidden under Kryptonian law. I was faced with a dilemma, bring the child to Krypton and separate him from his mother, or leave the child behind and risk contaminating human development."

Lor-Zod moved forward, his hands sheathed in metal gloves. In one hand was a small gold rock, which he placed on the child's forehead. "I chose the latter option, but I could not risk leaving a child with Kryptonian powers on this world. I briefly returned to Krypton and stole an extremely rare sample of Gold Kryptonite and used it on my son, permanently removing any Kryptonian powers he might have inherited from me, rendering him and his descendants no different than humans."

The scene changed to an island with a volcano about to erupt, with Lor-Zod standing at the top. "It was only a matter of time before my superiors realized what I had done, and I could not stay on Earth. For Li Mei's sake I could not simply disappear, so I decided to fake my death. The volcano on Roku's home island was about to erupt, and my human persona would die in it."

The scene faded back to the crystal of the Fortress. "That's it?" Kal El asked. "What happened to Lor-Zod?"

"_Lor-Zod was discharged from service and restricted to Krypton."_

"Is there anything else from him?" Kal El asked.

"_One transmission from Krypton found."_

The screen showed Lor-Zod, his beard had turned gray. "This message is for anyone stationed at outpost 87-Y-3. I have a request to make. If you have reviewed my logs then you know about the child I left behind on this planet. Please find my son and keep him safe from harm. Please protect my Kuzon."

_Kuzon!_ Kal El thought. "Fortress, did anyone from Krypton see this message before I did?"

"_Negative, Earth's World-Gate was sealed during Lor-Zod's trial, and remained sealed when war erupted on Earth."_

"The World-Gates…" Kal El muttered. "Are any of them still working?"

"_Negative, all World-Gates were sealed during General Dru-Zod's rebellion. All Kryptonians abroad were recalled and sealed their gates behind them."_

"Fortress, transport me towards the Fire Nation" Kal El ordered.

"_Acknowledged, transporting now."_

Back in the Fire Nation Kal El blurred to the capital. But instead of going to the palace, he went to a Fire Sage temple. The temple was where the noble family trees were recorded, and Kal El wanted to be certain if Lor-Zod's Kuzon was the same Kuzon Aang knew a hundred years ago. He read through the scrolls of all the noble families at super-speed until he found Kuzon's name.

According to the scroll, Kuzon's father was unknown, and his mother was Li Mei. Kuzon had two children, Ursa and Non. _Please let this be a different Ursa_ Kal El thought. Reading the next line of the scroll he found Ursa's children, Zuko and Azula.

Closing his eyes, Kal El realized what this meant. Zuko's great-grandfather was Lor-Zod, along with Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku. His cousins had Kryptonian blood, but Lor-Zod had prevented them from inheriting any of his powers or weaknesses. Kal El rolled up the scroll and took it with him as he left the temple. _Azula will hate this if she finds out_ he thought.

_A/N: If Vathera's Embers story can get away with making Zuko and Azula part Dragons I see nothing wrong with making them part de-powered Kryptonians here. For the unaware Gold Kryptonite comes from the comics and was used in Smallville as well._

_P.S. Does anyone else find it interesting that there's an Ursa in Superman canon as well as Avatar? Probably a coincidence, but it opens up possibilities for other stories. So here's a challenge for anyone reading this: Create a story where Avatar's Ursa and Superman's Ursa are the same person._


	43. The Puppetmaster

Chapter 43: The Puppetmaster

In some old woods, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Kal El were sitting around a campfire. They were telling old ghost stories during the night, and Katara had just told the story about Nini. It was Kal El's turn, and he decided to tell a story he found in the Fortress of Solitude.

"There was once a world that had peace and prosperity for millennia. But that ended in one night, when that world's champion had been beaten by one man. He threw that champion into the crowd, and spoke before them."

"_Here is your savior, cowed and broken. I have crushed him as easily as I have crushed all who have dared to oppose me throughout the Cosmos. I am a power unlike any you have ever known: absolute, infinite, and unrelenting. You have no choice but to prepare for a long dark future as my subjects and my slaves."_

"On that night, his armies swarmed over that world, slaughtering all that opposed him. The skies rained fire, the oceans boiled, the streets ran red with the blood of billions. And then, after the last pitiful hope was extinguished, he ended the champion's life. To this day entire worlds pray that he does not approach theirs, for everyone fears Darkseid."

Suddenly Toph felt strange vibrations coming through the ground. "Guys, do you hear that?" she asked. "I hear people under the mountain, and their screaming."

Kal El listened for anything suspicious, and heard screams buffered by rock. "I hear it too" he said. "I'll be right back." Then he blurred away.

A moment later an old woman approached, saying "Hello children." Aang, Katara, and Sokka screamed, startled by the stranger's approach. "Sorry to frighten you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spice tea and warm milk."

"Yes please" Sokka said.

As Hama led everyone to her inn, Kal El reached a cave in the mountain. He ran inside and found a metal door where the screams were coming from. He ripped the door open and tossed it aside, and inside the room he found dozens of people chained to the walls.

"We're saved!" one prisoner shouted.

"What happened?" Kal El asked as he broke the chains holding people.

"A witch" a woman said. "She controls people, like some dark puppetmaster."

"What did she look like?" Kal El asked.

"We don't know" a man said. "None of us got a good look at her face."

Kal El freed all of the prisoners and got them to the nearby town. There the prisoners warned the other people about how their bodies had been controlled against their will during the full moon. After listening to the warnings Kal El left to find the others, and found them in an inn.

After Kal El knocked on the door it was opened by Hama. She didn't mind one more guest, especially one that knew the others in the inn. Hama served tea to everyone and then showed them to their rooms. Before going to sleep Kal El explained what he found in the mountain, and immediately Sokka was suspicious of Hama. He was ignored of course, since Katara thought Hama was just a harmless old lady.

The next morning Hama took everyone shopping. While she didn't tell anyone this, she wanted to cook them a special dinner. In the town people were talking about the people rescued from the mountain. Hama told them to take the groceries back to the inn while she attended to other errands.

At the inn Sokka wouldn't drop his suspicions about Hama. He started snooping around the upper floor of the inn, despite protests from Katara. Sokka climbed up to the inn's attic and found a locked door. "Kal, what's in there?"

Kal El looked through the door. "Just a small chest" he said. Then he looked further and into the chest. "It's just a small comb inside."

"That's it?" Sokka asked.

"Pretty much" Kal El said. "The comb appears to be made out of bone."

"Where would Hama get a comb made from bone?" Sokka asked.

"From the Southern Water Tribe" Hama said from the bottom of the stairs. She had just gotten back and heard the children talking up stairs. "Where I grew up."

Sokka and Katara were shocked at the news. Sokka apologized for sneaking around, and Katara was glad to finally find someone else from her tribe. Hama admitted to wanting to surprise everyone with a big dinner. During the meal Hama offered soup to everyone, and then waterbended it into the bowls.

Katara was amazed to find another waterbender from her tribe. Hama explained that the Fire Nation had stolen all of the waterbenders during the raids on the South Pole. Over time more and more of the waterbenders had been taken, until Hama was the only one left. Then finally she was captured as well.

"Do you remember where you were held?" Kal El asked.

"Deep underground several islands east of here" Hama replied. "But that was over a decade ago and I don't know if anyone is still there."

"Well there could still be prisoners there" Kal El said. "I'm going to check it out."

In the morning Kal El left to find out if the waterbender prison still existed. Meanwhile Hama showed Katara what she knew about waterbending, including how to take water out of the air and the plants. Aang, Sokka, and Toph asked around town about the witch controlling people, but didn't get any new leads on who it might be.

Kal El found the island Hama described, and looked through the ground to search for a prison. The island was primarily volcanic rock, with little life or water flowing on it. He found the entrance near the island's peak, and ripped open the metal door. Inside he ran through the prison, taking out the guards before anyone knew what was going on.

On the bottom level of the prison, Kal El found metal cages suspended off the floor. Most were empty, their prisoners long dead from age. But there were still a few cells occupied, a dozen elderly men and women still imprisoned here. He carefully opened the cells and carried them to safety, keeping his speed down to prevent accidents. Outside the prisoners bended fresh water from the ocean and drank freely for the first time in decades.

When each waterbender had drank their fill they thanked Kal El for freeing them. When he explained how Hama had told him where the prison was, and their expressions turned to horror. They remembered how Hama had bended the water inside the prison guards and escaped. Subjecting your will over another was the ultimate violation a waterbender could do, and no one else had dared repeat what Hama had done.

Kal El realized that Hama would try to teach Katara this forbidden technique, and that he had to stop her. But he couldn't leave the waterbenders behind, where their age would prevent them from defending themselves. One by one he carried them to the Northern Water Tribe where they could recover, but had to slow his pace to prevent their weak bones from breaking at super-speed. By the time he finished and explained the situation to Chief Arnook night had fallen.

Hama and Katara were in the woods, taking in the full moon's light and letting it increase their power. Hama explained how she had escaped her prison with bloodbending, and that she wanted to pass on the technique to the next generation. Katara refused to learn it, and in response Hama used bloodbending on Katara.

While being controlled by Hama, Katara fought against it. Then she realized that her bending was stronger than Hama's, and could override the bloodbending used on her. With her body under her own control Katara fought Hama, damaging the forest by pulling water out of the plants. Hama was nearly beaten by Katara when Kal El arrived.

"Kal run!" Katara shouted. _If she can bloodbend him it's all over!_ she thought.

Hama motioned to bloodbend Kal El, but he disappeared before she could do it. He reappeared behind Hama and grabbed her wrists. Kal El forced Hama's wrists behind her back to restrain her. But then Hama clenched her hands, and Kal El felt his chest start to crush itself.

"I see your tougher than most" Hama said "But still filled with water."

Kal El fell the ground, hands grabbing his chest. If felt like there was a vice around his heart, trying to force it to stop beating. His body fought the bloodbending, adapting and preventing permanent damage. But the pain was enough to disable Kal El, allowing Hama to bloodbend his body into the air and throw it at Katara.

Katara tried to bend some water to push Kal El to the side, but did nothing against him. She had to jump out of the way, and Kal El was thrown into a tree. Hama pulled some water out of the grass and used it to freeze Katara's feet to the ground, then bloodbended Kal El towards her again.

Kal El couldn't let himself hit Katara, because with no control over himself the impact would kill her. He fought against the bloodbending as hard as he could, and at the last second his body moved to Katara's left and missed her.

"What the…" Hama said. She bloodbended Kal El towards Katara again, and at the last second he moved to the right and hit a tree instead. "How are you doing that?" She bloodbended him again, and this time he went up at the last second. His trajectory carried him towards Hama, and he fell on top of her.

Kal El felt the control over his body disappear, and he stood up. Hama's old limbs had been broken in the collision, leaving her unable to bend anything. Kal El carried Hama to the local authorities, who took her to jail. Then Kal El went back to Katara. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I will be" she said. Katara felt betrayed by Hama, forcing her to fight her friend. "How did you fight her control anyway?"

"I really don't know" Kal El admitted. "I just couldn't let her do that, hitting you like that would have been deadly. I had to move out of the way… and I just did."

"Maybe it's another new power for you" Katara suggested. "It's been a while since the last one."

"What, like flight?" Kal El said. "I think that would be pushing it a bit too far."

"I suppose it would be" Katara said. "Let's get out of here and find the others. I'm sick of this place."


	44. Smaerdyad and Seramthgin

_A/N: For those of you wondering about the chapter title, it's going to make sense about a fourth of the way through the chapter._

Chapter 44: Smaerdyad and Seramthgin

Appa reached the rendezvous point for the invasion four days ahead of schedule. Aang started to panic about having to face the Fire Lord in only four days. During the night Aang had a nightmare regarding the Fire Lord and missing pants, and when it woke him up Aang didn't go back to sleep. He started exercising throughout the night, which was annoying to Toph's earthsense and Kal El's hearing.

The next day Iroh and Ty Lee arrived at the rendezvous point. Ever since Ba Sing Se fell Iroh had been contacting his friends and allies, getting them into position for the eclipse. While Aang would fight the Firelord during the invasion, Iroh's friends would be assisting the liberation of Omashu when the eclipse reached that city. Meanwhile Ty Lee had gone with Iroh, and now they arrived three days before the invasion. Iroh decided to help Aang prepare by teaching him the basics of firebending. While Aang wouldn't be able to use it during the eclipse, the principals behind it would help.

Meanwhile Ty Lee flirted with Sokka. He found her quite strange, especially when she would talk while standing on her hands. Katara was surprised to find out Ty Lee was literally a circus freak. Toph didn't seem to mind Ty Lee, as long as she kept her hands away from Toph's pressure points.

During the day Kal El went to the Earth Kingdom for some last minute action as the 'Blur'. He intercepted a Fire Nation caravan heading for Ba Sing Se, but saw the strangest thing. A short little man with a big head wearing strange purple clothes had walked right in front of the caravan. He was calling for someone called 'McGurk' and was about to get hit by the caravan. Kal El got between the man and the caravan, forcing it to stop before it the man could be hit. When Kal El turned to see if the man was alright, he was gone.

_Huh? Where'd he go?_ Kal El thought. He dismissed the little man as unimportant, disarmed the soldiers with the caravan, and left. On his way back to the rendezvous point a wanted poster caught his eye. It was a nearly perfect drawing of the little man from before. Kal El removed the poster and saw the person's name. "Mister… Mix-Ull-Plick?" he wondered out loud.

Suddenly the drawing came to life, and came out of the wanted poster as the little man from earlier. "No!" he yelled with an extremely annoying voice. "It's 'Mix'-'Ill'-'Spit'-'Lick'." Mister Mxyzptlk at your service."

"What in spirits' name are you?" Kal El asked, wondering if he was dreaming this.

"I'm a superior being from the fifth dimension" Mxyzptlk explained.

"Okay…" Kal El said. "And what do you want?"

"Laughs" Mxyzptlk said. "I've been pitting my inter-dimensional magic against chumps who thought they could go fifteen rounds with the old master. You know those old stories about genies, imps, and leprechauns?"

"You?" Kal El said.

"Guilty" Mxyzptlk admitted. "After a while I got bored with basic humans and benders, but then you showed up. A frikkin Superman! You my friend are the ultimate challenge."

"I'll pass" Kal El said.

"Wait What!" Mxyzptlk said. "You can't just walk away from me."

"Watch me" Kal El said and blurred away. As he ran over the ocean between nations the water turned to ice, and Kal El lost his traction and slipped, coming to a stop halfway across. Then the ice instantly turned back into water and Kal El fell into it. So he swam the rest of the way back to the Fire Nation. On the shore Mxyzptlk appeared.

"Can't get rid of me that easily" Mxyzptlk said. "We're gonna have many merry games together."

"A game has rules" Kal El replied.

"You want rules eh" Mxyzptlk said. "Ok, you make me say, spell, or otherwise reveal my name backwards, and I'll be out of your hair for about… three months give or take."

"I can't even say your name forward, how am I supposed to say it backward" Kal El said.

"No you idiot, you don't have to say it" Mxyzptlk said. "You have to get me to say it."

"Say what?" Kal El asked.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that one again" Mxyzptlk said. "You'll have to try harder than that."

"Look can this wait a week" Kal El asked. "My friends and I need to prepare for a big event and I don't have time for this."

"Make time" Mxyzptlk said.

"I won't play your games Kip-Tip-Zim" Kal El said.

"It's not Kltpzyxm, it's… aw nuts" Mxyzptlk said and then popped out of existence.

With the annoyance out of the way Kal El ran back to the rendezvous point. Early in the afternoon he helped Iroh brew a fresh pot of tea to help Aang get over his nightmare. Kal El had just started to relax when Katara complained about a strange little man making her hair sticky.

"Oh no…" Kal El muttered.

"Do you know this pest?" Katara asked, her hands stuck in her hair.

"I don't see anything?" Iroh said.

"That doesn't surprise me" Kal El said. "Katara, does he have a really annoying voice."

"Yes" Katara said. "Do you know how to get rid of him?"

"Just say his name backwards" Kal El said.

"And how am I supposed to pronounce it?" Katara asked. "Kilt-Piz-Pim? Klit-Pay-Zim? Plik-Ull-Mix?"

"No you broad" Mxyzptlk said, but only Katara could hear him. "Kltpzyxm!" Then he snapped his fingers and said "Not again!" then disappeared.

Katara's hair reverted to normal and her hands were freed. "Well that was easy" she said.

"Yea, he's not very bright" Kal El said.

Then Kal El and Karata saw Sokka swinging his sword at thin air. Suddenly the sword was replaced with a banana. "Hey no fair" Sokka said.

"Hey Sokka, can I get a hand" Kal El asked.

"Kind of busy here" Sokka said.

"It's important" Kal El said. Then he wrote a short letter to Zuko. "Can you proofread this for me?"

"Um, Okay?" Sokka said.

"Give that here, I'll edit it" Mxyzptlk said. He took the letter and made little red checkmarks appear where there were typos on it. "There…" he said and started disappearing "Hey what no…" When he was gone the banana turned back into Sokka's sword.

Sokka grabbed the letter and looked for the typos. "K… L… T… P… Z… Y… X… M…" Sokka said. "Huh? Kltpzyxm?"

"Yup" Kal El said. "Apparently making him spell it works too."

"Is he going to come back?" Sokka asked.

"Probably" Kal El said. "He's only been after three of us so far."

However Mxyzptlk decided to back off for a while. Getting tricked twice that fast was always a bad sign so he took a break. For the rest of the day everything went smoothly at the rendezvous point, and Aang continued his firebending lessons with Iroh. By nightfall Aang got a hold of the basics, but nothing more.

That night Aang dreamt about facing the Fire Lord. In the dream he made sure to have pants, but had to face a surprise math test instead. The nightmare woke up Aang and he had to literally count sheep before falling asleep again. Then in the morning he dreamt that he missed the invasion, which woke him up in a panic.

Everyone could see that Aang was starting to freak out over lack of sleep. Iroh brewed some more calming tea, which helped a little. But then everyone saw a black and white bird waddle along the grass.

"Was that a penguin?" Ty Lee asked.

"He's back…" Kal El said, putting a hand to his face.

"Hi toots" Mxyzptlk said to Ty Lee. "I hear you're quite the circus performer." Then Mxyzptlk snapped his fingers and Ty Lee was suddenly on a tightrope held high in the air.

"Please…" Ty Lee said. "This is easy."

"Then try this on" Mxyzptlk said. In a flash Ty Lee was caught in a straightjacket. Then he made a pirate appear on the tightrope, which started throwing knives at Ty Lee. Mxyzptlk laid back and starting eating cheesy nachos that he made appear out of thin air.

Ty Lee effortlessly dodged the thrown knives. "Come on, I thought you would have something better Mr. Kltpzyxm" Ty Lee said.

"I'm not falling for that one, it's Mxyzptlk."

"Fall for what?" Ty Lee said.

"It!"

"What's It?"

"That word I'm not going to say!"

"Which is?"

"KLTPZYXM!" Then Mxyzptlk slapped his forehead. "I just had to fall for it" he said and vanished. Then Ty Lee was sent back to the others, free from the straightjacket.

"Well that was fun" Ty Lee said.

"I suppose you would find it fun" Kal El said.

"That just leaves Iroh, Toph, and Aang" Sokka said.

Suddenly a cone of earth formed around a random patch of grass, leaving only enough room for a tiny man. "Either go away, or I make you go away!" Toph yelled.

"Kltpzyxm! KLTPZYXM!"

"That was simple" Toph said.

"Nice" Kal El said.

"The kids are all a bunch of killjoys" Iroh heard Mxyzptlk say.

"Just one of the many things in life" Iroh said. "By the way, would you like some tea?"

"Tea? What's your angle?" Mxyzptlk asked.

"I just made too much and I hate to see a good pot go to waste" Iroh said.

"Alright" Mxyzptlk said. Then he made a cup appear in front of him, then made Iroh's teapot fly up and pour some tea into the hovering cup. Then he and Iroh drank tea together. "This aint half bad."

"I make sure every pot is as good as it can possible be" Iroh said.

"You know, I think Ms. Gsptlsnz would love the recipe" Mxyzptlk said.

Iroh wrote down his secret for making great Jasmine tea. "I hope she enjoys it as much as I do."

"For a three dimensional being, you're alright" Mxyzptlk said when he took the paper. "See you in three months, Kltpzyxm." Then he disappeared.

Mxyzptlk decided to prank a different group of humans for the rest of the day. He found a princess getting her hair treated to by servants. He appeared above the girl, then turned the water into ice.

"Hey what gives?" Azula yelled. Then she saw Mxyzptlk hovering above her. "Oh it's you."

"You've heard of me?" Mxyzptlk asked.

"I remember grandfather complaining about a floating big-headed imp" Azula said.

"Oh yea" Mxyzptlk said. "I forgot about that."

"I believe there was a magic word to get rid of you" Azula said.

"There's no way you're going to make me say it" Mxyzptlk said.

"Very well" Azula said. Then she sent blue fire at Mxyzptlk, who screamed and teleported out of the way.

"Watch the threads" Mxyzptlk yelled. Then he screamed when Azula shot lightning at him, which hit and turned him into ash. A second later he reverted to his normal state. "And I thought the other kids were killjoys. To Lleh with this, Kltpzyxm."

"So that's how you get rid of him" Azula said.

The servants were confused to what Azula was talking about, but knew better than to question their princess. They went back to work on Azula's hair, just in time for Zuko to show up. He asked why he wasn't invited to a war meeting, which Azula suggested was because he was expected to be there. Zuko said he wasn't going to go to the meeting and turned to leave.

"Watch your step Zuko" Azula said. "There's a spirit prankster on the loose."

"Right…" Zuko said.

Zuko went to Mai's house that evening and couldn't stop thinking about the war meeting. Mai tried to distract Zuko, suggesting that he order some servants around. Then out of nowhere, Mai started laughing.

"Ok, who told the ultimate joke?" Zuko asked.

"I… can't… stop…" Mai said, barely able to get words in between laughs.

"Much better, don't you think" Mxyzptlk said.

Zuko was surprised to find Mxyzptlk hovering behind him, and threw a fire blast at the little man. Mxyzptlk teleported away, only to find another fireblast thrown at him. "Whatever you did, reverse it" Zuko demanded.

"Make me" Mxyzptlk said. Then he had to dodge another fireblast. "What's with you people and chucking fire at things."

"Well we are _Fire_ Nation" Zuko said. "It comes with the territory. Now leave."

"Nope, you're not making me say that word" Mxyzptlk said.

"So there's a word that gets rid of you" Zuko said. "What do I have to say?"

"You don't say it dum dum" Mxyzptlk said. "You have to get me to say it."

"How can I get you to say it if I don't even know what it is" Zuko said.

"Exactly" Mxyzptlk said.

"So what is it?" Zuko asked.

"I'm not saying it!" Mxyzptlk yelled.

"Then yell it" Zuko said.

"KLTPZYXM!" Mxyzptlk yelled. "Crap…" he said and disappeared. Then Mai stopped laughing.

"What just happened?" Mai asked.

"Nothing important" Zuko said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

That night Aang had another nightmare. This one involved everyone dying in various ways, and watching the world burn. When he woke up he refused to go back to sleep, and that he had to stay awake all the way to the invasion.

The next day Aang tried to train as hard as he could. Iroh refused to teach any more firebending until Aang got some sleep, so Aang practiced fighting a tree version of Ozai. While he did so he started hearing Momo talk, then Appa as well. Suddenly both of them were wearing Samurai gear and started swordfighting. The sheep nearby starting cheering for the fight, then Aang saw the guru with extra arms float nearby. Then he saw rows of rocks moving around Aang in strange patterns.

"Man you are really tripping out" Aang heard an annoying voice say.

Aang turned and saw Mxyzptlk floating there, eating from a bag of popcorn. "Oh look another hallucination, a little big head man floating in the air."

"Hey I'm real" Mxyzptlk said. "And just enjoying the show your delusional mind is playing."

"Right…" Aang said. "Just do whatever, figment of my imagination."

"Let's get started then" Mxyzptlk said. With a snap of his fingers he made the seven sheep start dancing the polka, Appa and Momo started singing a strange song, and made the tree with Ozai's face on it start a spelling bee with some rhyming rocks.

Aang just stood there, dumbfounded at everything. "More hallucinations" Aang said. "What's next? Writing Acronyms while in an asylum?"

Mxyzptlk was surprised at how low-key Aang's reaction was. "You really know how to suck the fun out of this" he said. "What good's a prank if the guy being pranked isn't aware of it?" Then he snapped his fingers and the chaos stopped, then made a grand four-poster bed appear and teleported Aang into it. "I'm doing you a favor kid, get some sleep."

Aang fell asleep in the extremely comfortable bed, and slept through the rest of the day and throughout the night. He dreamt that it was the Fire Lord who forgot his pants, and didn't have any more nightmares. When Aang woke up in the morning Mxyzptlk said Klypzyxm and left, taking the bed with him and dropping Aang onto the ground. While Aang was annoyed, at least he was well rested.

_A/N: Special thanks to Forever Fyre, who helped provide ideas for this chapter._


	45. Day of Black Sun

Chapter 45: Day of Black Sun

In the morning, Sokka reviewed the plans for the invasion of the Fire Nation. While he prepared, Katara noticed a fog rolling in, which hid the arrival of the invasion forces. Everyone went into the bay and then Aang and Toph earthbended some piers for the boats to dock with.

Hakoda was the first to disembark, and received a grand hug from Katara. Sokka asked his dad if he found everyone that he recommended for the invasion. From Hakoda's boat three men wearing strange leaf clothing walked out. Tho, Due, and Huu observed how different the area was to the swamp, while Bato wished they would put on some pants. Iroh started to talk with Huu, curious about the hidden tribe of waterbenders.

From Bato's ship the earthbender Haru and his father Tyro walked out. Aang introduced them to Toph, Kal El, and Ty Lee. After the introductions Ty Lee started to flirt with Haru, liking his sensitive side. Next off the boat were The Hippo and The Boulder, who were glad to be fighting with The Blind Bandit for once.

From the third boat everyone heard an explosion happen, and out of the smoke the Mechanist emerged and his son Teo, followed by The Duke and Pipsqueak. The Mechanist had been experimenting with peanut sauce based explosives, which weren't reliable. Teo gave Aang a new glider, which came with a snack compartment.

From the fourth ship a group of waterbenders emerged from it, along with Chief Arnook, Fire Lady Ursa, and Princess Yue. Sokka was surprised to see them, and ran up to greet them. Sokka and Yue got reacquainted, and Yue confessed how embarrassing she found the possibility of kinship with the waterbenders from the swamp.

While they talked, Toph felt someone strange approach from the top of the cliff. "Hey guys, it feels like a man made of metal is up there" she said.

"Good, he's here" Kal El said.

"Who's here?" Katara asked.

"Him" Kal El said, pointing to the top of the cliff.

Standing at the top was a huge man, with a metal right arm and right leg. He was bald but had a short beard, and had a strange eye tattoo on his forehead. He jumped down, landing near the piers, and only grunted on impact.

"Who is that guy?" Aang asked.

"An assassin I hired" Kal El said. "He doesn't care who he works for, as long as he gets paid."

"What's his name?" Toph asked.

"You know, I don't really know" Kal El said. "He doesn't talk, and most people just make up a name for him. I call him Tim, but that's definitely not his real name."

"So what can he do?" Katara asked.

"Tim! A demonstration please" Kal El said.

Tim took a deep breath, then fired energy from his third eye out into the sea, where it triggered a large explosion on contact with the water.

"Whoa" Aang said. "Maybe we should call him Sparky Sparky Boom Man?"

"Too long" Toph said.

"I know" Sokka said. "Let's call him Combustion Man. Does that work?"

Combustion Man nodded, then walked away to be alone.

With the last introduction out of the way, all of the fighters gathered in front of a stone podium. Sokka tried to explain the plan for the invasion, but suffered from stage fright and started rambling on about his trip around the world. Hakoda stepped in and explained everything properly, clarifying that the most of the invasion would be before the eclipse, giving Aang as much of the eight minute window to beat the Fire Lord.

Everyone made their final preparations for the battle. Katara wore a brand new water tribe outfit, with several filled waterskins. Toph wore an Earth Kingdom uniform. Customized armor was placed on Appa. Aang wore his Air Nomad shirt along with the Fire Nation pants and shoes, then shaved his head. Sokka put on his warrior's uniform.

Kal El wore a full black outfit, with a silver S in a diamond symbol on his chest. He wanted to fight this battle as a Kryptonian, not Fire Nation. This was the uniform of the Kryptonian ambassador, with the chest symbol showing the crest of the House of El. He also slicked his hair back, leaving only a single tuff of hair lying forward.

Everyone boarded the Water Tribe ships, then sailed for the Fire Nation capital. The waterbenders created a fog to hide their approach. However the Gates of Azulon closed, raising large nets which were set on fire. Fire Nation boats moved to intercept the ships, and the soldiers boarded them. They found the ships deserted, their occupants having boarded submarines that were now traveling beneath the gates.

In the submarines, Toph got seasick and threw up in The Duke's helmet. When the submarines had to resurface for air The Duke took the time to wash out his helmet. When it was time to submerge again Aang flew ahead, ready to face the Fire Lord while his forces would be occupied by the invasion. Kal El ran ahead of the invasion, ready to clear a path for everyone else.

Kal El reached the harbor first and started disabling the soldiers guarding the stone gates. He destroyed the ballistae meant to pierce the hulls of the submarines, allowing them to approach safely. The submarines launched torpedoes which blew open a hole in the stone large enough to let the submarines enter the harbor.

The submarines reached the shore and everyone exited them. Several crawler tanks were first, propelled by earthbenders. The tanks were attacked by cannons from the battlements, which were being destroyed one at a time by Combustion Man. Waterbenders and warriors followed behind the crawler tanks, taking out the soldiers going around them. In the rear were Iroh and Ursa, firebending at the enemy from a distance.

Fire Nation tanks were deployed to slow the invasion. These were destroyed by the crawler tanks, waterbenders, or Huu's plantbended monster. When the tanks failed the Fire Nation deployed their Kimono Rhinos, which charged at the warriors. Ty Lee jumped from one rhino to another, disabling the riders by hitting their pressure points. The warriors seized the rhinos and turned them against the soldiers.

As the invasion advanced more battlements started firing on them. Kal El disabled people and destroyed equipment inside some of them, while Combustion Man destroyed some more. Others needed to be dealt with by Sokka, Katara, and Hakoda, who flew up to them on Appa. Hakoda was injured while taking out a battlement, and had to be carried back to the rest of the invasion forces.

When they reached a safe place to land Katara started to heal her father's wound. Sokka volunteered to lead the invasion in Hakoda's place. He ordered the crawler tanks into wedge formation, and they pressed forward, forcing the Fire Nation back. They blasted through a wall protecting the tower that coordinated the Fire Nation effort, and were ready to take it.

Meanwhile Aang had flown to the Fire Nation Palace to confront the Fire Lord. But Ozai wasn't there, nobody was there. The entire city had been abandoned, so Aang's only option was to return to the rest of the invasion and come up with a new plan. When he made it back the invasion had just taken the harbor's command tower, and Aang landed next to his friends.

"What happened?" Kal El asked.

"He wasn't home" Aang said. "The entire palace city is abandoned."

"They knew" Sokka realized.

Kal El slapped his forehead. "How could I have been so stupid" he said. "Azula must have found out when she was in Ba Sing Se."

"The Fire Lord is probably long gone" Aang said. "Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."

"No, Ozai is no coward" Kal El said. "He's probably inside one of the bunkers underground."

"If it's an underground bunker, then I'm just the girl to find it" Toph said.

"Between Toph's feet and my eyes and ears, Ozai can't hide for long" Kal El said.

"Wait, won't your powers stop working during the eclipse?" Katara asked.

"From what I understand, my body holds a charge of energy from the sun" Kal El explained. "I should still have my powers during the eclipse, but I could lose them if I use up too much energy. They should last the whole eight minutes if I keep my speed down and don't use firevision."

"Then let's go" Aang said.

Aang, Kal El, Sokka, and Toph flew on Appa towards the volcano that held the capital inside it. When they landed Toph found tunnels underground, and Kal El looked through the rock and searched for any Kryptonite Azula may have. He found it suspicious when there wasn't any inside the tunnels, and made a mental note to interrogate Azula about that. Once Toph made an entrance they moved through the tunnels towards a bunker.

When they reached the secret bunker Kal El looked through the metal doors. He saw more paths behind it, so he ripped open the doors and everyone ran inside. From there they stumbled across an old Fire Nation man, who immediately told them where the Fire Lord's chamber was. They reached it just before the eclipse was about to begin, and Kal El looked through the metal. There was a patch of green in his vision, preventing him from seeing who was at the other end of the room.

"There's Kryptonite in there" Kal El said. "Once I break down the door I'll have to keep my distance."

"Okay" Aang said.

Kal El grabbed the doors and tore them open, tossing twisted scraps of metal to the sides. There was one person in the room, but instead of the Fire Lord it was Azula sitting in the chair at the far end. She was wearing her royal armor, with a piece of Kryptonite for a belt buckle.

"So you are alive" Azula said. "I had a hunch that you survived. But it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months."

"Where is the Fire Lord?" Aang demanded.

"So I'm not good enough for you?" Azula said. "You're hurting my feelings."

"Stop wasting our time" Sokka said. "You're powerless right now so give us the information."

"Powerless eh" Azula said. Then she took a gold fan and a red rock out of her pockets. "You wouldn't by any chance recognize these?"

"That's Suki's fan" Sokka yelled.

"And the Red Kryptonite" Kal El said.

"Do you know what these have in common?" Azula asked. "They let me do this." With a smile on her face Azula swung the fan, and a massive gust of wind blew through the room and threw everyone back.

"How _Dare_ you Airbend!" Aang yelled as he got up. He earthbended a massive stone block out of the floor and threw it at Azula, where it suddenly shattered before it could hit her. When the dust settled there were a pair of Dai Li agents in front of Azula.

"When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs" Azula said. "Including a recipe for bending two elements. It was quite toxic, but it turns out that if you replace the green rock with the red variety it becomes quite safe to use." Then Azula sent another windblast with the fan, which Aang effortlessly dispersed with his staff.

"Airbending won't help you if you don't know how to use it properly" Aang yelled. Then he sent his own windblast at Azula, which the Dai Li blocked with a stone wall. Toph broke down the wall, giving Kal El an opening to blow a strong wind through the room and knock the Dai Li off their feet. Azula dispersed the wind heading for her with the fan, and then sent another windblast with it which Toph blocked with an earthwall.

Then Toph earthbended the floor beneath the Dai Li and pulled it towards herself. Kal El moved in front of Toph and stuck his arms out, right in the path of the Dai Li. They hit his arms and were knocked out from the impact. For good measure Kal El threw them into metal support beams and then bent the metal around them into restraints.

Azula decided to start a chase, running from Aang while throwing wind with the fan. She ran down a hallway while Aang and Sokka pursued her. Kal El picked up Toph and caught up with them at super-speed, then threw Toph hard enough to send her ahead of Azula. Then when Toph landed she earthbended two rocks into the air, which wrapped around Azula's wrists and then stuck her to a wall. Toph took the Kryptonite Azula had and buried it deep beneath the floor.

"Now I have to ask" Kal El said. "Why didn't you line the palace with Kryptonite to keep me out?"

"Well I was going to, but then the Dai Li told me how they cause a plague" Azula said. "What good would keeping you out do if I get sick in the process?"

"Enough talk" Sokka said. "Where is the Fire Lord?"

"Oh he's not here" Azula said.

"What!" Aang yelled.

"You heard me" Azula said. "Kal's last visit nearly scared the firebending out of him, so he left for today."

"Please tell me she's lying" Sokka said, looking at Kal El and Toph.

Kal El looked through the rock in all directions while listening for Ozai's voice, but found nothing. "Then we'll have to settle for the princess" he said. Then he ripped a metal support from the wall and twisted it into a metal sheet and wrapped it around Azula. With their prisoner unable to move and bend Kal El picked her up and blurred out.

Outside the invasion force had seized the palace just before the eclipse ended. They had lost some of the warriors and waterbenders, but still had enough of their forces to hold their position. Then Kal El arrived and tossed Azula to the ground, surprising everyone.

"What happened in there?" Katara asked.

"The Fire Lord wasn't home" Kal El said. "We have to leave."

A few minutes later Appa arrived carrying Aang, Sokka, and Toph. Then Bato spotted something in the air. Everyone turned and saw five hot air balloons rising and moving towards them. "Leaving sounds really good right about now" Bato said. But then came the massive metal zeppelins behind the balloons, which surprised everyone.

Azula laughed and said "You're in for it now."

"Everyone get back to the beaches" Sokka ordered. "If we can reach the submarines maybe we can get away safely."

"I'll do what I can to slow them down" Aang said before flying towards the zeppelins on his glider.

"I'll be right back" Kal El said. Then he blurred down to the beach, lifted one of the submarines out of the water, then carried it back to the invasion force. "Alright, kids on Appa, Everyone else in the sub."

The zeppelins passing overhead dropped bombs to destroy the sub, but Kal El used his firevision to make them explode in the air before they could hit the sub. When all of the adults were in the submarine Kal El picked it up and ran to the shore. He threw the submarine into the water and then pushed it until the submarine was moving faster than could be pursued. When the submarine was far enough away Kal El returned to the others and then tossed Azula into Appa's saddle.

As Appa flew away Aang decided that they should go to the Western Air Temple. The zeppelins didn't follow, but a single war balloon did. Zuko was following the Avatar again, fed up with his father's rule and wanted to make things right.

_A/N: After having earthbenders gain firebending with Kryptonite, I couldn't resist the idea of an Airbending Azula. Review please._


	46. The Western Air Temple

Chapter 46: The Western Air Temple

Appa quickly got tired carrying all the teens and his armor, and had to walk most of the way to the Western Air Temple. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Haru, Yue, The Duke, Ty Lee, and Kal El were walking alongside Appa. Teo was wheeling himself forward, dragging a captured Azula wrapped in metal behind his wheelchair.

Aang wasn't happy with bringing Azula with the group to their next hiding place, still angry at her perversion of airbending. Kal El wanted to keep her where he could keep an eye on her. She was too dangerous to be kept anywhere else, having used Red Kryptonite to obtain airbending and knowing how to give it to other firebenders. By keeping her with the group Kal El could keep her from escaping.

When they reached the Western Air Temple Toph was the first person to realize they had arrived. Everyone else saw only a large canyon with fog hiding the bottom. The temple was hanging from the bottom of a cliff, only viewable from the side or below. Everyone climbed aboard Appa and he flew down to the temple.

In the temple, Teo, The Duke, and Haru started to explore it. Aang wanted to go with them, but Katara stopped him. It was time to discuss what to do next, and Katara felt Aang should be a part of it. Azula was kept inside one of the buildings, watched by Yue and Ty Lee.

"So what's the plan?" Aang asked.

"Well if you ask me we can't afford to hold back anymore" Sokka said. "Kal I know you don't want to, but I think it's time you beat the Fire Lord."

"Fine" Kal El said. "If Aang can't beat him before Sozin's Comet I'll prevent him from doing any harm during it."

"Okay with that settled we need to find Aang a firebending teacher" Sokka said.

"And where am I supposed to find one with Iroh gone" Aang said. "You just had to put him with the other adults in that sub."

"Sorry, wasn't thinking about that at the time" Kal El admitted.

"We could force Kal's crazy cousin to do it" Toph suggested.

"Too dangerous" Kal El said. "We could ask Zuko, he's right over there."

Kal El pointed to another building in the temple, where Zuko had climbed down to. Then Kal El leaped over, picked up Zuko, and leaped back. "Hello, Zuko here" he said.

"What do you want this time?" Aang asked.

"Well I can teach you firebending" Zuko said.

"After you abandoned us in Ba Sing Se!" Katara yelled. "How can we ever trust you?"

"I know I've made mistakes in the past" Zuko admitted.

"Mistakes!" Katara yelled. "Aang was nearly killed because of you!"

"I know" Zuko said. "I was wrong and I'm sorry."

"We can't trust you" Aang said. "You should leave."

Zuko got to his knees and placed his arms forward. "Then take me as your prisoner" Zuko offered.

"No" Katara said. "Having one crazy royalty prisoner is hard enough to handle."

"You have Azula here!" Zuko yelled.

"I have some questions for her" Kal El said. "That and she's too dangerous to let roam freely."

"So you're willing to keep her captive and not me as well" Zuko yelled. "At least I can help you."

"Fine" Aang said.

"But one screw up and you're gone" Katara said.

Sokka showed Zuko to a new room, which Sokka found really weird to do. Katara kept an eye on Zuko, still not trusting him. In the meantime Kal El went to the room where Azula was being held, as it was time to ask her those questions.

"What do you want?" Azula asked. Her arms were held to her body by a metal sheet, and her feet were bound together as well.

"Why didn't you tell Ozai about my weakness?" Kal El asked.

"Because I want the pleasure of killing you myself" Azula said.

"Not buying that" Kal El said. "You always have an ulterior motive."

"And what could that possibly be?" Azula said.

"Well without Kryptonite there's nothing protecting Ozai from me" Kal El said. Thinking for a moment he realized one possible answer. "You want me to beat him, so you can take the throne for yourself."

"Got it in one" Azula said. "Of course that doesn't mean much now, what with you keeping me here."

"For now anyway" Kal El said. "Next question, how many people have you given airbending to?"

"Like I would really give someone else that advantage" Azula said.

"You wouldn't have done to yourself without testing it on others first" Kal El said.

"Well I did test it, and when it worked I eliminated the guinea pigs" Azula admitted.

"Typical…" Kal El said. "I'll be back for more questions later."

"Could you do me one small favor" Azula asked. "I need to use the little girl's room and I can't go wrapped up in this."

In a blur Kal El twisted the metal leave Azula's hands open and in position to do her business. Then he walked out of the room and told Yue to keep an eye on Azula. From there he walked to another building in the temple where Zuko was trying to teach Aang firebending. But for some reason Zuko could barely make any fire.

"Why isn't this working?" Zuko yelled as he tried to firebend again, only getting a handful of flames.

"Something wrong?" Kal El asked.

"My firebending is wrong" Zuko said. "It's barely working. Maybe it's because I changed sides?"

"I doubt it's as simple as that" Kal El said.

"Maybe your firebending comes from rage" Aang speculated. "And you don't have enough anger to fuel it like you used to."

"Well I don't want to rely on that anymore" Zuko said. "There has to be another way."

"Is there another source of firebending?" Kal El asked.

"Well the original source was the dragons" Zuko said.

"Right… forget I said anything" Kal El said.

"Wait, did something happen to the dragons?" Aang asked.

"They're extinct" Kal El said. "Sozin started the tradition of hunting them, and there aren't any left."

"Well maybe there's another way to learn from them" Zuko said. "The first people to learn from them were the Sun Warriors."

"How does that help? They weren't around even when I was a kid" Aang said.

"That's true, but their civilization wasn't far from here" Zuko said. "Maybe we could learn something from their ruins."

Aang and Zuko immediately left for the Sun Warrior ruins on Appa, leaving everyone else behind. Kal El checked in on Azula, who appeared to be behaving herself. Sokka and Yue talked while standing watch over the prisoner, and everyone else explored the temple. The All Day Echo Chamber was a popular place to visit, but it annoyed Kal El's hearing each time someone used it.

Bored, Kal El stood on the edge of the temple, looking down into the canyon. He looked through the fog concealing the bottom, and was surprised at just how deep it was. _That would be a really nasty fall_ he thought. Suddenly there was an explosion in another building of the temple, taking Kal El out of his thoughts.

Azula had decided to make an escape attempt. Her hands had just enough room for her to heat up the metal binding her, allowing her to melt enough of it to free herself. Then she had firebended at the door in her makeshift cell and enhanced it with airbending, making the entire wall explode outward and surprising Sokka and Yue. She ran out of the room and spotted a black blur moving from building to building towards her.

"You really think you can escape?" Kal El said when he landed on the same building as Azula.

"Yes!" she yelled and then airbended a large gust of wind at Sokka and Yue. The wind pushed them towards the edge, and Sokka barely caught a root sticking out of the side. Yue was blown off, and started screaming as she fell into the canyon.

"Yue!" Sokka screamed as he hung from the root.

"Stop me or save her" Azula said. "Pick one." With a smile on her face Azula firebended from her feet to launch herself into the air, controlling her direction with airbending.

For Kal El this choice was no choice at all. He jumped off the temple and fell after Yue, arms in front as he tried to catch up with her. The wind rushed by as he willed himself to go faster and catch Yue before she would hit the ground. He fell faster than her and reached Yue a third of the distance from the ground. Kal El placed his arms around Yue, falling together.

But she wasn't safe yet, the ground was approaching too fast. Yue closed her eyes and waited for the impact that would kill her even in Kal El's arms. But it never came, and when Yue opened her eyes she saw the ground rushing past. She realized they were still falling, but horizontally.

"You're _Flying!_ Yue yelled.

Kal El was shocked that he was able to stay off the ground. He was still moving at the same speed he was falling, but had changed the direction. He couldn't keep his eyes off the ground rushing by, afraid that he would suddenly fall.

"WALL!" Yue yelled, having looked forward. Kal El looked and saw the side of the canyon quickly approaching, and then he suddenly moved up. The side of the wall rushed by as Kal El flew, carrying Yue back through the fog in the canyon and above the temple.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back at the temple Katara and Haru helped Sokka get back to safety. The others could only watch as Azula escaped on jets of blue fire. Sokka was worried about Yue, as he couldn't see what happened after Kal El jumped after her through the fog. Then The Duke noticed something out in the distance.

"Look up in the sky!" The Duke yelled.

"It's a bird?" Haru said.

"It's a glider?" Teo said.

"No, it's Kal El!" Sokka yelled.

"He can Fly?" Katara said.

"He can what!" Toph yelled.

Then Kal El flew to the temple and hovered just beyond the edge. He didn't want to land, enjoying flight too much to stop. He set Yue down on the edge and watched her run to Sokka. Then with one arm extended he flew up and out of the canyon, going after Azula. She had landed on top of the cliff supporting the temple and was running from it.

"This just isn't your day" Kal El said when he was above Azula.

Azula turned to where Kal El's voice came from, and was stunned speechless when she saw him hovering above her. _This can't be happening!_ she thought. Then Kal El flew down and picked up Azula, and she couldn't help but scream as he flew with her over his shoulder. Kal El flew south-east, past the Earth Kingdom continent and leaving a boom noise in his wake. When he reached the Eastern Air Temple he flew close to the ground and dropped Azula.

"Enjoy your stay" Kal El said before flying off. He flew over the Earth Kingdom in random directions, experimenting with flight. When he felt natural in the air he returned to the Western Air Temple, arriving at sunset. He landed next to everyone, startling them.

"And I thought it was annoying when you would blur in and out" Sokka said.

"What did you do with your cousin?" Katara asked.

"I left her as far away from here as possible, the Eastern Air Temple" Kal El admitted.

"She's going to come back" Katara said.

"I know but that won't be for a while" Kal El said. "Now what's for dinner?"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the Eastern Air Temple, Azula was furious. _How am I supposed to beat him now?_ she thought as she set the temple on fire. _Even with the green rocks he can just stay in the air now and attack at his leisure._ She enhanced the fire burning the temple with airbending, taking a small pleasure in the irony of using the lost art to destroy its own temple.

In a room what wasn't burning yet Azula found several glider staffs. She took one and set the rest on fire. With most of the temple burning Azula left and walked to the northern shore. There she unfolded the stolen staff's glider and through trial and error figured out how to use it to fly. When she perfected the use of the glider she flew over the sea towards the Earth Kingdom, heading for Ba Sing Se.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The next day Aang and Zuko came back from the Sun Warrior ruins. They described what they found, and demonstrated the Dancing Dragon form and the true nature of firebending. Zuko was ready to teach Aang firebending, and they were one step closer to beating the Fire Lord before the arrival of the comet.

_A/N: I was thinking about writing "Cue Superman Music" during the rescue scene. But then realized most people reading this would do it subconsciously._


	47. The Ember Island Players

_A/N: Skipping a few episodes. Since Hakoda isn't captured, Sokka has no reason to break into The Boiling Rock. Also skipping The Southern Raiders, since I really have nothing useful to do with it._

_A/N-2: This is my attempt at a self-parody, like the episode was for the show. Since this is a new writing experience for me, please tell me how good or bad I did it._

Chapter 47: The Ember Island Players

After leaving Azula at the Eastern Air Temple, Kal El reasoned that the Western Air Temple wasn't a safe place to stay anymore. When Kal El mastered his new ability to fly he carried Haru, Teo, The Duke, Ty Lee, and Yue to the Northern Water Tribe for safety. Everyone else remained in the Fire Nation, and Zuko suggested that they hide on Ember Island. The Fire Lord's own beach home would be the last place anyone would look for them.

Over the next two weeks Zuko taught Aang firebending every day, and he quickly learned everything he could. Katara and Kal El watched them practice while Sokka and Toph went to the local market place. While shopping Sokka found a poster for a play performing that night, and took it back to the beach house for everyone else to see.

"You guys, you're not going to believe this" Sokka said as he ran towards the others. "There's a play about us."

"Sokka found this poster" Toph said while Sokka held it up for everyone to see. It showed a tall muscular man with a black S symbol on the chest of a full red suit, standing on a map of the world. In the background were an older Katara and Zuko on the left, Aang and Sokka on the right. Along the bottom of the poster were the words 'You'll Believe A Man Can Fly."

"How is that possible?" Katara asked.

"Listen to this" Sokka said. Quoting the notes on the poster he said "The Man of Tomorrow is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on The Blur from the Fire Nation capital to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, Joo Dees, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."

Zuko and Kal El groaned at the same time. "My mother used to take us to see them" Zuko said. "They butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons' every year."

"And they ruined 'Flames of the Heart' as well" Kal El said.

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to attend a play about us?" Katara asked.

"Come on a day at the theatre" Sokka said. "This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing."

Despite predicting that the play would render their reputations ruined forever, everyone went to see it anyway. In their Fire Nation clothes they got seats in the nosebleed section, far enough out of the way to avoid suspicion of their identities. After waiting ten minutes, the play began.

The first scene was Ba Sing Se, the backdrop showing a ruined wall. On stage was a short fat man with white hair and beard. "Oh the devastation!" Actor!Iroh proclaimed. "Why couldn't I have done it!" Then stage hands pushed a silver box onto the stage. "What's this?" Actor!Iroh said. He opened the box and picked up a three-year old. "A baby… I think I'll name you… Goku. No wait that's a silly name. I got it, Kal El is a much better name."

The next scene replaced the backdrop with Fire Nation prop buildings. On stage were two teenage men, one with long hair and the other with short hair. "Hey Zuzu, check out my awesomeness" the short haired teen said. He picked up one of the obviously hollow buildings and threw it. Then placing his hand up to his eyes the actor used a hidden mechanism in his sleeves to eject red ribbons from them, making it appear like they were coming from his eyes.

The red ribbons hit Actor!Zuko's face. "Oh Agni! With the burning, and the scarring!" he shouted. Turning his face away from the crowd he slapped a sticker on his right eye. Then he turned to face the audience, showing off the new burn mark.

Did that really…" Sokka said.

"NO!" Zuko and Kal El said at the same time.

A later scene used a backdrop of icebergs and ocean waves. Moving across the stage was a mechanical Appa, carrying a plump Katara, adult Sokka, and female Aang. Naturally the originals were disgusted with the actors. "Hey what's that in the sky?" Actor!Aang asked. Then a muscular man wearing the red outfit from the poster dropped down in front of the mechanical Appa.

"In the name of the Fire Nation! You shall not pass!" the man proclaimed.

Actor!Aang jumped out of the mechanical Appa. "Avatar State Yip Yip" she said and the lights went out, letting her glow in the dark makeup to light up. Using light blue ribbons to represent airbending she attacked the man, who didn't bother to move at all.

"Foolish Avatar! Bending does not work on Kal El!" he shouted. Then he pushed over Actor!Aang, and the lights turned back on as he did it.

"Please, we need him for the hope" Actor!Katara cried out. "Have a heart and help spread the hope."

"Very well. I shall join your quest!" Actor!Kal proclaimed.

The next scene used a backdrop resembling the North Pole. On stage were small boats being stepped on by Actor!Aang in a fish suit. Suspended with wires was Actor!Kal in another fish suit. "Phew Phew" Actor!Kal said as he dropped white smoke bombs, concealing the little boats long enough to be knocked over and make it appear like he did it.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

During intermission, everyone walked outside the theatre for some fresh air. "So far this is the best part of the play" Zuko said.

"Apparently the playwright thinks I'm some self-centered, sickeningly perfect character" Kal El complained. "Like that one person in 'Fire's Journey', I forget her name…"

"Mary Sue?" Zuko said.

"Yea that" Kal El said. "Only in some kind of God Mode version."

"At least your actor is the right gender" Aang said. "Why do they have a woman playing me?"

"You are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys" Toph said.

"Not helping Toph" Kal El said.

"I can't wait to see me in there" Toph said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Act two of the play began, the backdrop being buildings from the Earth Kingdom. On stage were a boulder prop, Actor!Aang, Actor!Katara, Actor!Sokka, and Actor!Kal.

"Now where am I going to find an earthbending teacher?" Actor!Aang asked. "I better have a look around." Then on wires she flew above the audience and then landed on the stage. "I've looked all over town, but I couldn't find a single earthbending master."

Then the boulder prop was lifted by a large muscular guy. "You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground" the man said and threw the prop.

"Who are you?" Actor!Aang asked.

"My name's Toph, because it sounds tough" he said while flexing his muscles. "And that's what I am."

"So your tough eh" Actor!Sokka said. Pointing at Actor!Toph and Actor!Kal he said "Let's you and him fight!"

"I accept!" Actor!Kal shouted.

"I'm gonna rock your world" Actor!Toph said.

"But this fight is completely unnecessary" Actor!Katara said.

"Blasphemy! All fights are necessary!" Actor!Kal declared. He and Actor!Toph exchanged a few punches, then pushed down Actor!Toph.

The next scene resembled the old abandoned mining town in the Earth Kingdom. Actor!Zuko, and Actor!Iroh joined the other actors in cornering Actor!Azula.

"Azula, my sister, what are you doing here?" Actor!Zuko asked.

"Testing myself against the only man that worthy of my attention" Actor!Azula said.

"Then you can test my new trick" Actor!Kal said. "I'MMA FIRIN' MAH BLAAAAAAAAAH!" As he shouted industrial fans were used to blow wind through the stage, which Actor!Azula used to simulate being blown off the stage.

"Oh no, she's gone" Actor!Katara said.

The next scene used Ba Sing Se's wall as a backdrop. Actor!Aang, Actor!Katara, Actor!Sokka, Actor!Toph, and Actor!Kal were on stage.

"We've finally reached Ba Sing Se" Actor!Aang said.

"Wait a minute, someone might recognize you!" Actor!Katara said.

"Then he needs a disguise" Actor!Sokka said.

"I know something perfect for that" Actor!Kal said. From his pocket he took out a tiny pair of glasses and put them on.

"Who are you?" Actor!Aang asked.

"Works every time" Actor!Kal said.

Next scene resembled the Dai Li base. At the right end of the stage was a bald actor and Actor!Toph with googly eyes on. At the left end of the stage were Actor!Kal and Actor!Katara.

"Long Feng, you won't get away with this!" Actor!Katara yelled.

"Serve the Earth King and finish them" Actor!Feng said.

"Must… Obey… Master…" Actor!Toph said.

"You can go ahead and burn" Actor!Kal said. He placed his hands up to his eyes, using hidden mechanisms in his sleeves to eject red ribbons. It appeared that he was burning Actor!Feng alive, who dropped to the floor when he was covered in red ribbons.

"Long Feng died?" Kal El said.

"Must have been when none of us were around" Sokka said.

The next scene resembled the Earth King's throne room. On stage were Actor!Kal and Actor!Azula.

"You dare fight me here!" Actor!Kal shouted.

"Yes I do" Actor!Azula said. She held up a gold tiara.

"Oh No! Yellow Metal! My one weakness!" Actor!Kal cried out and dropped to the floor.

"Now you're all mine" Actor!Azula said.

"Not so fast" Actor!Aang yelled, dropping in from above. "Avatar State Yip Yip!" she said. The lights when out and Actor!Aang was lifted up on wires.

"Not if my lightning can help it!" Actor!Azula yelled, throwing a blue ribbon at Actor!Aang. She caught it and acted being electrocuted and was dropped to the floor. "The Avatar is no more!"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

During the second intermission, everyone walked outside the theatre again. Only Toph was in a good mood. "Does anyone have some red rocks?" Kal El asked.

"Why would you want that?" Zuko asked.

"They bring out Kal's inner jerk" Toph said.

"And I really want to burn down this theatre right now" Kal El said.

"That sounds like a really good idea right about now" Zuko said.

"Before you do that, can you get me backstage?" Sokka said. "I want to give some jokes to Actor!Me."

"I suppose they won't make the play any worse" Kal El said. He looked around for anyone watching, then in a blur he picked up Sokka, dropped him off backstage, then blurred back.

"We're going to have to back inside now, aren't we?" Aang asked.

"I'm afraid so" Katara said.

"You know, I think I hear someone calling for help" Kal El said. Then he blurred out of the building and flew away.

"Did he just bail on us?" Toph asked.

"Apparently he did" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The third act was underway when Kal El returned to the theatre. He quickly took a seat next to Sokka. "So what'd I miss?" Kal El asked Sokka.

"We went to the Fire Nation, Aang got better, I got a sword, you went psychotic and got better, and I think Hama died" Sokka described. "I think the invasion is about to start."

The current scene used the ocean as a backdrop, with Actor!Aang, Actor!Katara, Actor!Kal, Actor!Sokka, and Actor!Toph standing on a prop of a submarine.

"Aang, I have a confession to make" Actor!Katara said. "I'm in love with Kal El!"

"About time" Actor!Aang said.

"Um…" Actor!Kal said. "Up Up and Away!" he shouted and was lifted away on wires. Then Actor!Aang was pulled up as well.

"Hey Toph" Actor!Sokka said. "Would you say you and Kal El have a 'Rocky' relationship?"

While the audience laughed Sokka was practically celebrating. "I told him to say that" he told the others.

The next scene resembled the Fire Lord's throne room. On stage were Actor!Aang and Actor!Kal, and no one else.

"We finally made it to the royal palace, but no one's home" Actor!Aang said.

"Actually I'm home" Actor!Zuko said walking on stage. "And I want to join you."

"Okay" Actor!Kal said. "Come on."

As the actors ran off stage Sokka got up from his seat. "I guess that's it. The play has caught up to the present."

"Wait, the play's not over" Katara said.

"But it is over" Sokka said. "Unless… this is the Future!"

The next scene used the same throne room backdrop, only with a comet prop handing above. Actor!Ozai entered from behind the throne and stood in front of the seat.

"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" Actor!Ozai declared.

Actor!Azula ran on stage. "Father, The Avatar and Kal El are at the palace" she said. "They are trying to stop you!"

"You take care of the Avatar" Actor!Ozai said. "I shall face Kal El myself!"

In a puff of smoke Actor!Ozai disappeared from the audience's view. Then Actor!Kal and Actor!Aang dropped down from above.

"Aang, you fight Azula, the Fire Lord is mine" Actor!Kal said.

Actor!Kal was lifted away again, allowing Actor!Aang and Actor!Azula to fight. They exchanged strikes with red and blue ribbons for firebending. Then large paper flames sprouted from the floor from Actor!Azula to Actor!Aang, making it appear that Actor!Aang was being incinerated. She then vanished beneath a trap door in the stage.

The final scene removed the giant throne from the stage, replacing it with a much smaller seat. Actor!Ozai was sitting in it. The front of the stage had small fire shaped paper sticking out, resembling the infamous wall of fire the Fire Lord was known to use. Actor!Kal dropped down from above, ready to fight Actor!Ozai.

"So you are here to face me" Actor!Ozai said.

"And you are going down" Actor!Kal said.

"I have a better idea" Actor!Ozai said. "Join me, and together we will rule the world together!"

"If I was going to rule the world why would I need you?" Actor!Kal asked. "I'm just going to take it for myself."

"No, you are too late" Actor!Ozai said. "The comet is already here, and I'm Unstoppable!"

Actor!Ozai attacked with two long red ribbons for firebending. Actor!Kal was lifted up on wires and then dropped down behind Actor!Ozai. Then Actor!Ozai threw several ribbons at Actor!Kal, who tossed them aside. To end the fight Actor!Ozai signaled for a large red sheet to move across the stage and Actor!Kal was wrapped up in it.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" You Won't Get Away With This!" Actor!Kal yelled as he dropped to the floor.

Then Actor!Azula walked on stage. "It is over father, we've done it!"

"Yes!" Actor!Ozai said. "We have done it! The dreams of my father, and my father's father have now been realized. The world is Mine!"

The audience cheered with the play's ending, viewing this as a happy ending. The applause was disturbing to Aang and the others in the back, sickened by people being happy if they failed. They quickly left the theatre, regretting being there in the first place.

"That wasn't a good play" Zuko said as they walked along the beach.

"I'll say" Aang said.

"No kidding" Katara agreed.

"Horrible" Toph said.

"But the effects were decent" Sokka said.

"I've seen better" Kal El said. "I still want to burn down that theatre."

"Go ahead" Zuko said.

"I won't stop you" Sokka said.

"Evacuate the place first" Katara said.

"I don't mind" Aang said.

"Can I come?" Toph asked.

Kal El blurred away and removed everyone inside the theatre. Then he flew above the theatre and used firevision until the building was burned down to the foundations. Once everything that could burn had turned to ash he blew out the flames to prevent the rest of the island from burning down. Satisfied he returned to the others on the beach.

"Nice work" Zuko said.

_A/N-3: Again, first time writing a self-parody. Advice would be appreciated for if I try it again in another story._


	48. Begin End Game

Chapter 48: Begin End Game

After trying to purge the memory of that awful play, Aang resumed his firebending training with Zuko. In addition to firebending, Zuko taught Aang how to redirect lightning, which would be essential against Ozai. In what seemed like no time at all, Sozin's Comet was about to arrive. There were only three days left before either Aang or Kal El would have to stop Ozai.

During a training session, Sokka came up with an idea to relieve some stress. He suggested a beach party, which Aang immediately supported. On the beach Aang made a sand sculpture of Appa, while Toph made a miniature version of Ba Sing Se. Sokka created what he claimed was a sculpture of Yue, which looked nothing like her.

While Aang was goofing around on the beach, Zuko was frustrated with Aang's lack of commitment to his training. He interrupted the beach party by throwing a fireblast at Sokka's sculpture, destroying it. Aang ran behind his sculpture of Appa.

"Zuko what are you doing?" Aang yelled.

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko shouted.

Zuko sent another fireblast at Aang, which was blocked by Kal El suddenly being in the way. "Knock it off Zuko" he said.

"How can all of you just sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only three days away?" Zuko asked.

"About Sozin's Comet…" Aang said. "I was planning to just have Kal keep him busy during it, then face him myself after it's gone."

"That's it?" Zuko asked. "Just keep him busy?"

"Even with the comet boosting his power I can still keep him from causing any harm" Kal El said. "Once the comet is gone Aang will have all the time he needs to master firebending."

"The Fire Lord isn't the only problem we have when the comet comes" Zuko asked.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Let me explain…" Zuko said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_The day before the eclipse…_

The Fire Lord called for a very special war meeting on the day before the solar eclipse. After the meeting was over Ozai planned to leave the capital, since it was far too easily penetrated by his renegade nephew. In the war room everyone waited until Prince Zuko arrived and took his place at Ozai's right hand.

"General Shinu, your report" Ozai said.

"Thank you sir" Shinu said. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, between the Blur's rampage and earthbender rebellions, we have lost ground in the rest of the Earth Kingdom continent. These setbacks are becoming unacceptable."

"What is your recommendation?" Ozai asked.

"When Sozin's Comet arrives, we need to destroy the Blur once and for all' Shinu said.

"Hmm… Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners" Ozai said. "Do you think destroying the Blur would stop the rebellions?"

"No" Zuko said. "Right now he is only a myth to them. Destroying him would not destroy their hope. And as long as they have hope, they will endure anything."

"Yes your right Zuko" Ozai said. "We need to destroy him, and their hope."

"Well, that's not exactly what I…"

Zuko was interrupted by Azula. "We need to lure him out where all of the Earth Kingdom can see him. Reveal that he is still just a man and will fall."

"And how would you lure him out?" Ozai asked.

"Burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground" Azula suggested. "He won't stand idly by and we can destroy him when he tries to save the day. He may be powerful, but even he can't withstand an army of firebenders powered by Sozin's Comet."

"Yes your right Azula" Ozai said. "And if he doesn't show up the Earth Kingdom will end, _permanently_."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_Present Day…_

"I wanted to speak out against his horrible plan" Zuko said. "But I'm ashamed to say I didn't."

"He's going to burn down the Earth Kingdom, just to lure me out during the comet" Kal El said. "I'm sure I can handle him during the comet, but an army of powered up firebenders might be too much for me."

"Why didn't you tell us about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang asked.

"I didn't think I had to" Zuko said. "I assumed you were still going to fight him before the comet. No one told me you were going to wait."

"Well if Ozai wants a fight during the comet, I won't disappoint him" Kal El said.

"You'll have to take his life, before his firebenders begin burning down the Earth Kingdom" Zuko said.

"Does he really have to kill him?" Aang asked. "There has to be another way."

"Maybe there's something…" Kal El muttered.

"What is it?" Aang asked. "Tell us."

"No, not until I'm certain" Kal El said. "I need to check something." Then he jumped into the air and flew away.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

That night, Aang walked out of the house, seemingly in a trance. He walked down to the beach and into the water, and then swam to an island that mysteriously appeared off shore. No one noticed he was gone until they were about to leave in the morning.

Zuko and Toph searched one side of the island while Katara and Sokka searched the other. They didn't find anything. Then everyone heard a boom noise in the air, and then Kal El landed in front of them. When he heard what happened he listened for Aang, but didn't hear him anywhere nearby.

"How in the world did he disappear like that?" Kal El asked.

"We need to find him" Zuko said. When he saw everyone staring at him he asked "Why is everyone looking at me."

"Well you are kind of the expert in hunting the Avatar" Katara said.

"We don't have time to chase him down" Zuko said. "Kal, go fly around the world and search. The rest of us should head for the airship fleet and try to disable it."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After carrying everyone to the island that stored the airship fleet, Kal El searched for Aang. Finding nothing in the Fire Nation, he decided to search the Earth Kingdom. While flying near Ba Sing Se he heard several suspicious voices near the outer wall. Wondering what was going on, he investigated and found a camp occupied by several old people in strange blue and white outfits. He saw King Bumi and landed next to him.

Surprised, Bumi said "Well look who just dropped in. I had a feeling Mr. Unexpectable would make a visit."

"What happened to waiting in Omashu for the right moment?" Kal El asked.

"Oh it came and went" Bumi said. "Would you like to hear what happened?"

"Sure" Kal El said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_The Day of Black Sun…_

The Fire Nation soldiers occupying Omashu never knew what was about to hit them. The new statue of Fire Lord Ozai had been completed a week ago, standing at the peak of the mountain that the city was built on. When the solar eclipse began, everything the Fire Nation achieved here was about to come crashing down on them.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the ground beneath the soldiers shot upward, catapulting them in random directions. Not seeing anyone attacking, the firebenders attempted to strike at anything that moved and wasn't another soldier. But thanks to the eclipse their firebending wasn't working. Powerless, they were unable to stop the next attack. Several walls formed out of the ground which rammed the soldiers, pushing them out of Omashu.

Bumi decided to mess with the soldiers that remained in his city. While wearing a gray suit with a black cape and a cowl that made his ears look pointed, he started to sing.

"Firebenders are… A superstitious cowardly lot… They plan and plot but they always get caught… Their evil schemes all come to naught… A superstitious cowardly lot…"

As Bumi sang he earthbended more soldiers out of Omashu, taking them out faster than they could react. Then he used earthbending on the ground beneath the statue of Ozai, tipping it over. The statue fell down the slopes of the city, crashing into one of the metal bridges to the city. One soldier witnessed Bumi's feat of earthbending, scared into submission.

"What are you?"the solider yelled.

Bumi said "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am BUMI!" Then he laughed and catapulted the soldier out of Omashu, then took a bite of rock candy.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_Present Day…_

"Mad genius or not, you certainly have style" Kal El said.

"So did you do anything on the day of the eclipse?" Bumi asked.

"Nothing of importance right now" Kal El said. "Is my father here?"

"He's in that tent" Bumi said while pointing to the far end of the camp.

Kal El walked to the tent and entered it. He found Iroh sleeping inside, and waited several hours for him to wake up in the morning. "What are you doing here?" Iroh asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Can't a son see his father before saving the world?" Kal El asked.

"So you're going to go through with this?" Iroh asked.

"I really don't have a choice" Kal El said. "Aang is missing, and someone has to stop Ozai."

"I see" Iroh said. "I have something for you." Iroh grabbed a large box inside the tent and opened it. Then he handed the box to Kal El to see what was inside. Kal El found a blue suit, with an S in a diamond symbol on it. There was also a red cape and red boots inside as well.

"I don't know what to say" Kal El said.

"You are ready for this my son" Iroh said. "Seize your destiny."

"This was supposed to be Aang's destiny" Kal El said.

"Destiny is a funny thing" Iroh said. "It never turns out like we imagine. I once thought it was my destiny to take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation, so that the Earth Kingdom can be free again."

"I suppose destiny won't care as long as someone saves the world" Kal El said. "Avatar or Superman, as long as there is a light for our darkest hour."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the Fire Nation capital, Fire Lord Ozai prepared to execute his plan for the day Sozin's Comet arrived. He had toyed with the idea of renaming his position 'The Phoenix King' but reasoned that such notions were premature. It would have to wait until after he prevailed and secured his dominance over the entire world.

Just before leaving for the airship fleet, he needed to pick someone to manage the homeland while he was away. Azula hadn't returned to the Fire Nation yet, so he had to pick someone else for the job. Fortunately he knew just the person that was perfectly suited for the task, yet could be kept under control.

Ozai arranged to meet with the man just before boarding a ship. He was a tall man with a muscular frame, black hair and a short beard, with hazel eyes. "I trust you're ready to protect the homeland while I'm away, Vandal Savage."

"Of course my lord" Vandal said. "May the Fire Nation live forever." Then Vandal noticed a courier running towards Ozai, exhausted and appearing to be half dead. "I believe there's a message for you."

The courier handed a small package with a note on it to Ozai, then collapsed and had to be carried away by soldiers. Ozai read the note first, and in Azula's handwriting it said _You'll need this._ Then Ozai opened the package, finding a green amulet inside...

_A/N: As far as I am aware, Vandal Savage didn't originate in Superman stories, but being a DC villain he has interacted with Superman before. I liked his portrayal in Justice League and thought he would be useful as a potential Korra-Era villain. Since he's immortal, why not throw him in now.  
_

_P.S. Still waiting for someone to write a Bumi/Batman crossover. Bumi's little song came from the Batman Musical shown in Batman Beyond. _


	49. Superman

Chapter 49: Superman

Sozin's Comet arrived, lighting up the night sky. It left a trail of fire in its wake as it skimmed through the atmosphere, providing power to all firebenders. It would have been a wonderful sight, if it wasn't going to be used for mass destruction.

The Fire Nation airship fleet had taken off from the base near the Earth Kingdom, on its way to begin burning down the continent. Zuko, Katara, Sokka, and Toph had stowed away before they took off, and searched for a way to bring down the ships. As the airships flew Sokka found the way to the control room of the ship he was in.

Fire Lord Ozai was standing on a platform beneath the lead airship. He took in the comet's power, ready to begin burning the world. He was about to unleash his fury when the entire airship suddenly shook, and started to fall. Ozai couldn't see it, but a massive tear had been made in the roof of the airship, releasing the hot air that allowed it to fly. As the ship fell it suddenly slowed down, and the change in momentum threw Ozai off his platform.

Using jets of fire to slow his descent, Ozai safely landed on one of the many pillars of rock in the Wulong Forest. He looked up at his airship, and saw a vague figure at the front of it. The airship fell in a controlled descent, slow enough to ensure the survival of everyone inside it. It crashed into the ground with minimal damage. Then Ozai saw the vague figure move away from the ship and towards him, stopping in the air above Ozai.

Ozai couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Kal El hovering in the air without wind or fire to keep him there. He was wearing a blue suit with an S in a diamond symbol on his chest, red boots, and a red cape flowing in the wind.

"I'm only going to give you one chance" Kal El said. "Turn back now while you can still walk away."

"No" Ozai said. "This is my world now, _You_ have no place in it. Prepare to die!" Then he sent a massive fireblast at Kal El, but he flew out of the way. He saw Kal El fly towards him for an attack, and suddenly fall from the sky and crash at the bottom of the pillar Ozai stood on.

_Why must Kryptonite be everywhere?_ Kal El wondered as he got up from where he crashed. It was far enough away from Ozai for him to recover from the Kryptonite, and then he flew into the air and kept his distance from Ozai. Looking through Ozai's uniform he found a small patch of green below Ozai's neck.

"I see you have a new toy" Kal El said. "A piece of green rock, courtesy of Azula."

"A last minute gift I'll admit" Ozai said. "And it would seem to be protecting me from the strength of yours."

"I don't need it to beat you" Kal El said. Then he took a deep breath and blew, the wind forcing Ozai off the pillar of rock. Ozai stabilized himself in the air, just in time to block Kal El's firevision with his own fire. His enhanced firebending was enough to overpower the firevision, forcing Kal El to move out of the way.

Kal El flew to the ground and ripped a pillar of rock from its base and threw it at Ozai. On a pillar of fire he flew out of the way and sent a fireblast at Kal El. He flew to the side and blew at Ozai, sending him tumbling through the air long enough for Kal El to hit him with a narrow stream of fire. It burned away Ozai's shirt, revealing the amulet of Kryptonite hanging around his neck.

Realizing that Kal El was after the amulet he possessed, Ozai started shooting lightning at him. Kal El was able to dodge each strike, but doing so prevented him from taking another shot with firevision. One shot of lightning was too close to dodge, forcing Kal El to use Iroh's redirection technique to divert the lightning. He sent the lightning into the sky, not wanting to risk repeating the accidental power transfer that happened the last time he was hit with lightning.

Ozai was shocked that it was possible for Kal El to redirect lightning. He hesitated just long enough to give Kal El an opening. With a very narrow stream of fire he hit the amulet Ozai wore, shattering it and sending fragments of Kryptonite falling to the forest floor. Ozai's expression turned to terror as he realized he was vulnerable now. Kal El flew forward and slammed into Ozai, then threw him away.

After tumbling through the air Ozai stabilized his position with fire jets. He saw Kal El flying towards him and defending with a sphere of fire around him. But Kal El flew through it and grabbed Ozai's fist, stopping his bending. Then Kal El threw his knee into Ozai's chest, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to collapse.

Still catching his breath, Ozai said "Do it. Strike me down, or we'll have to do this all over again."

"I won't kill you" Kal El said. "I'm sending you to a place where you can never hurt or threaten anyone ever again."

_OOOOO_

_Two days ago…_

After Aang's concern over the need to kill the Fire Lord, Kal El wanted to see if there was a way to imprison him. No prison in the world would be able to hold him, but maybe a prison from another world could. Kal El flew to the Fortress of Solitude, hoping to find something to use there. Once inside he told the Fortress to transport him to the record chamber.

"Fortress, what did Krypton do with its most dangerous criminals?" Kal El asked.

"_Criminals were banished into a prison dimension."_

"How would I send someone there?"

Suddenly Kal El was transported into the armory, where he found his ship lying among the weapons and armor kept there. At the wall next to Kal El was a crystalline chest, which was opening. Inside was a small crystal that would fit in Kal El's hand. It was shaped like the symbol of the House of El, including the S on the front.

_OOOOO_

_Present Day…_

Kal El took the crystal from the Fortress out of his pocket and aimed the S on it at Ozai. "Give my regards to the Phantom Zone" he said.

The crystal fired a beam of light at Ozai, which created a blinding flash of light on contact. When the flash was over there was a pane of glass hovering and rotating where Ozai was, each side showing Ozai struggling to get out. Then the pane of glass flew up and into the air, where it vanished into the heavens.

With Ozai gone, Kal El turned his attention to the airship fleet. He saw that Sokka and Katara had already gotten to work on destroying the ships, using one of them to ram the others. Half of the ships were destroyed, the rest working on setting the Earth Kingdom on fire. He was about to help bring down the airships, when his hearing picked up something very strange coming from Ba Sing Se.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, the Order of the White Lotus was ready to take Ba Sing Se. Iroh took in power from the comet, and used it to blast through the wall with a single massive fireblast. With the way open, Bumi earthbended platforms of rock under the Order's members, quickly carrying them into Ba Sing Se. Jeong Jeong used his enhanced firebending to fly on pillars of flame, then brought down a fiery death from above onto the Fire Nation troops. Pakku and Bumi used their bending to disable more soldiers, their experience beating their raw power.

After fighting their way through the streets of Ba Sing Se, the Order approached the palace. Iroh burned down the tapestry of the Fire Nation covering the Earth Kingdom symbol, then entered the palace with Piandao. Several Dai Li inside tried to stop them, but stood no chance against Iroh's enchanced firebending and Piandao's skill with a sword. Within minutes they entered the throne room, and found Azula sitting on the throne. Lachlan Luthor stood in front of her, in position to fight.

"Give up" Iroh said. "Ba Sing Se will be free again."

"No it won't" Azula said. "Luthor, you deal with the swordsman. Uncle is mine."

"I've got another idea" Luthor said. Then he turned around and earthbended the floor around the throne, encasing Azula in rock.

The rock didn't hold, and exploded in Azula's rage. "How dare you betray me!" Azula yelled.

"While I ruled in your name I realized something" Luthor said. "I'm more of a businessman than a dictator, and supporting the losing side is very bad for business."

Enraged Azula filled the room with blue fire, which Luthor was barely able to block with a rock wall. He knew it was time to leave, and earthbended the floor underneath him to send him out the door. _Those old men will deal with her_ he thought as he left.

Azula was about to pursue Luthor when a wall of fire blocked the exit. Iroh wasn't going to let Azula escape. He was about to attack Azula when the roof suddenly collapsed, sending debris crashing down between Iroh and Azula. When the dust settled Iroh was surprised to see Aang jump in through the hole in the roof.

Aang had come to Ba Sing Se after being left on the Earth Kingdom's eastern shore by the giant Lion-Turtle. He had decided to deal with Azula while Kal El fought the Fire Lord. Taking advantage of the White Lotus's attack he reached the palace undetected. Hoping to catch Azula off guard he destroyed part of the roof with earthbending and jumped inside.

Immediately Aang threw his strongest windblast at Azula, pushing her into the back wall. She retaliated with a massive blue fireblast, which Aang blocked with his own fireblast. Aang shattered the floor with earthbending, then sent the pieces flying at Azula, who jumped to dodge them. Using pillars of fire from her feet Azula launched herself onto the roof of the palace, and Aang followed her. Both of them sent fireblasts at the same time, creating a massive wall of fire where they collided. Then they sent airblasts at each other, creating a brief tornado in between them.

Realizing this fight was going nowhere, Azula charged a lightning blast. She fired it at Aang, who used Iroh's redirection technique to send the lightning into the sky. Azula sent another fireblast at Aang, but was surprised to find him gone when the flames passed. Then Aang appeared behind her, earthbending the roof to emerge from below. Then he earthbended the roof again, using the rock to encase Azula's hands and pull her down to her knees.

Aang walked around to Azula's front, where she attempted to breathe blue fire at him. He blocked with wind, then placed one hand on her head and one on her chest. He remembered the words of the Lion-Turtle: "_In the era before the Avatar, we bended not the elements, but the energy within ourselves._" Using the technique the Lion-Turtle provided, Aang reached into Azula's spirit. He looked for the source of her airbending so he could take it away.

While Aang tried to remove Azula's airbending, he couldn't do it. It was tied to the Red Kryptonite inside her, and would have to be physically removed in order to remove the airbending. While still in Azula's spirit, Aang took an alternative and decided to remove her firebending instead. Aang found the source of firebending in her spirit, and cut her off from it.

Suddenly Aang saw a flash of Gold in Azula's spirit. In an explosion of energy Aang was forced away from Azula, tumbling along the roof and nearly falling off the edge. He saw Azula break her bonds like they were nothing, uncertain what just happened. She punched the air to firebend, but nothing happened.

"What did you do to me!" Azula yelled. For a moment her eyes flashed red.

"I took away your firebending" Aang said. "You can't use it to harm or threaten anyone else ever again."

Azula screamed and charged at Aang. She was surprised to find herself moving at impossible speed and slammed into Aang. Her momentum carried them off the roof and into the palace courtyard. The ground cracked where Azula crashed, and Aang was knocked out when he hit the ground.

_How did I just do that?_ Azula wondered. She saw Aang unconscious with a large bruise on his chest, and decided to finish him. However she saw Bumi throw a large boulder at her, and jumped to dodge it. She screamed as she found herself launched into the air from her jump and then falling towards the middle ring. She hit a building and demolished it in the impact, but found herself unharmed.

"What's happening to me?" Azula cried out. Then she heard a boom noise in the air, then found Kal El hovering over the ruins of the building. "You!" she screamed. "This is all your fault!" Then her eyes glowed red and fire emerged from them.

Kal El was surprised at this kind of attack, and just barely got out of the way. He didn't see Azula jump into the air and slam into him, sending both of them flying across the city and into the lower ring. _This is bad, very bad!_ he thought. He saw Azula rush towards him in a blur, blocking just in time. The impact broke the ground beneath his feet, pushing him back thirty feet. Kal El pulled back his arm and punched Azula's face, sending her flying into the wall dividing the lower and middle rings, leaving a crater in the wall.

Climbing out of the crater, Azula was surprised she was still alive after that hit. _I'm moving very fast, withstood attacks what should have killed me, shot fire from my eyes _she thought. _I have Kal's powers? How?_ Then she saw Kal El fly up to her, and leaped to attack him. Kal El saw her coming and caught Azula, then threw her hard enough to send her out of Ba Sing Se, landing near the Lake Laogai.

Kal El was about to fly after Azula when he heard Aang struggling for breath. He flew to Aang, who was just barely conscious. "What happened to Azula?" he asked.

"I removed her bending" Aang said weakly. "But something went wrong, a flash of gold."

_A flash of gold?_ Kal El wondered. Before he could say anything he heard Azula running towards the city. He flew away from Aang and intercepted Azula, hitting her hard enough to send her flying to the outer wall and break through it. Then he flew to the other side where Azula stood up.

"What are you going to do now that I have your power?" Azula yelled.

"I'll thank you" Kal El said.

"Come again?" Azula said.

"All my life I've had to hold back" Kal El said. "But you can take it now, can't you? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you how powerful I _really_ am."

Kal El flew in and punched Azula, sending her flying through the air. He caught up with Azula and brought down both fists, sending her plummeting into Full Moon Bay. Just before she could hit the water Kal El flew in and kicked her upward, towards the Si Wong Desert. Over the sands Kal El rammed Azula, running her into the ground outside of Gaoling. Then he grabbed Azula's leg and threw her hard enough to send her flying over the Foggy Swamp, then with another punch sent her past Omashu.

Landing on the ground, Azula readied herself for another attack. She saw Kal El fly in, and moved to punch him as he came near her. Her fist hit Kal El's, the combined force creating a shockwave that shattered the ground between them. Azula tried to kick Kal El, but he caught her leg and threw her into the air towards Kyoshi Island. Kal El flew above Azula and rammed into her, slamming them into the center of Chin Village, the impact creating a shockwave that destroyed all of the buildings in it.

The impact left Azula struggling for breath, barely able to get up. "How are you still stronger?" she said weakly.

"Because you're only one eighth Kryptonian" Kal El said.

"What!" Azula shouted.

"I'm not the first of my kind to come here Azula" Kal El said. "One of them broke the law by having a child here, who was Ursa's father. If not for my kind, you wouldn't exist."

"No, that's not true" Azula said. "That's impossible."

"Believe what you want, I really don't care" Kal El said. He picked up Azula and flew back to Ba Sing Se. Hovering above the city he looked through the rock for anything green. Finding a small patch of green near the outer wall Kal El used his firevision to burn away the ground over it. When a small amount of Kryptonite was revealed he dropped Azula over it, letting her crash into the ground next to it.

When she hit the ground Azula felt intense pain, as if her skin was on fire. She could barely move, only able to watch Kal El fly away. Lying in pain she could only watch as the comet finished its journey across the sky and leave the world behind, its red glow giving way to the light of the setting sun.

_A/N: When I wrote this chapter I realized there was something missing from the entire story. A good old fashioned superpowered beatdown against an enemy that can actually take a punch from Superman. I also liked the idea of turning canon's Deus Ex Machina_ _(spiritbending) into a Diabolos Ex Machina, something to make the situation worse._


	50. Finale

Chapter 50: Finale

After fighting Azula, Kal El flew back to the airship fleet to destroy the remaining airships. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that he didn't have to. Zuko and the others had seized enough ships to ram the others and destroy them. After destroying the ships they had gotten to work on putting out the fires set to the land, Zuko bending the flames away while Katara and Toph put other flames out with water and earth.

Standing on top of the crashed airships were the soldiers that operated them. They heard a boom noise in the air and looked for the source of the sound. They saw Kal El arrive and blow out the remaining fires. When he was finished Kal El landed on the crashed ship with the most people on it, giving them a chance to fight if they wanted to.

"This war is over" Kal El declared. "Fire Lord Ozai is gone, Princess Azula has been defeated, and there is no reason to continue fighting. Surrender now and you can all go home."

One of the soldiers stepped forward from the crowd, took off his skull helmet and threw it away. The soldier observed Kal El's strange clothing, noting the S symbol on his chest. "Thank you for having mercy on us, Superman."

All of the soldiers chose to kneel before Superman, surrendering to him. "Don't kneel to me" Kal El said. "Kneel Before Zuko." Then Kal El flew away from the ship and landed next to Zuko and the others. "I think that wraps things up here" Kal El said.

"There's still more work to do" Zuko said. "We need to take care of who my father left in control of the capital."

"Okay, next stop the capital" Kal El said. He picked up Zuko and flew west, quickly reaching the Fire Nation Capital. Kal El landed on the roof of the palace, and found Vandal Savage standing there and waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Vandal asked.

"You were expecting us?" Zuko asked.

"I was expecting _him_ to show up" Vandal corrected, referring to Kal El. "But as long as you're here I suppose you'll be wanting your throne now."

"You're just going to give it up like that?" Zuko asked.

"Of course" Vandal said. "You have The Blur, or should I say Superman, on your side. It would be foolish to resist that kind of power."

"It's good to see someone smart enough to know when to quit" Kal El said.

"Indeed, I have all the time in the world" Vandal said. As he walked away he said "Good day to you, _Kryptonian_."

Kal El was surprised to hear Vandal use that word, but didn't press the issue. He let Vandal order the soldiers in the capital to stand down, allowing Zuko to take his rightful place on the throne. With the capital secured Kal El flew to Ba Sing Se.

When he arrived at the walled city he asked Aang to help build a special prison for Azula. Underneath Ba Sing Se Aang earthbended a cell large enough for Azula to live in. Kryptonite was placed several feet outside each wall, far enough away for the room to be safe. Azula wouldn't be able to escape, since each direction would take her too close to the Kryptonite and stop her from moving.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_One week later…_

With the war over and peace preparations being made, it was time for Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord. Representatives from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe traveled to the Fire Nation capital to witness the event. Inside the capital Zuko put on ceremonial robes while Aang wore new Air Nomad robes. When they were ready Zuko and Aang walked outside to address the audience.

The crowd cheered when Zuko came forward with Aang at his right. Then everyone heard a boom noise in the air and turned their heads to look up in the sky. They saw Kal El fly in, his cape blowing in the wind. He landed at Zuko's left, who raised his hand to tell the crowd to let him speak.

"Today, this war is finally over" Zuko declared. "I will restore the honor of the Fire Nation. The road ahead of us is challenging, a hundred years of fighting have left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, and the help of Superman, we can get it back on the right path. We can be a great people, and now we know the way to an era of love and peace."

From behind Zuko, Ursa stepped forward with the crown in her hands. Zuko knelt while Ursa stopped just behind him. "All hail Fire Lord Zuko" she said and placed the crown in Zuko's topknot. The crowd cheered as Fire Lord Zuko walked towards the crowd with Avatar Aang and Superman.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_Meanwhile…_

For the last week Former Fire Lord Ozai wandered the barren wastelands of the Phantom Zone. The strange land was a nightmare made reality, torturing Ozai with every passing moment. The sun never set, but was colder than the darkest night. His firebending quickly dwindled to almost nothing, drawing no power from the alien sun. It was barely enough to fend off the wraiths and abominations that dwelled here.

Ozai was about to give up and let the next monster take his life when he saw two humanoid figures approach in the distance. They were wearing cloaks, and pulled back the hoods when they walked up to Ozai. One was a man with a thin beard and the other was a woman with short brown hair. "Come with us" the woman said.

Too tired to resist, Ozai willingly followed the strangers. They led him to a campsite occupied by strange creatures, some appeared to be human while others were clearly alien in origin. In the center was a large tent, which Ozai was brought inside. Within the tent was a throne built from strange bones, and sitting on the throne was a man with black hair and a short goatee.

The new person stood up from the throne and walked towards Ozai. Feeling a sense of power from the man, Ozai bowed to him. The stranger smiled and placed one hand on Ozai's shoulder. The stranger decided to introduce himself in the same manner he would to new subjects.

"Kneel Before Zod."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

A month after the new Fire Lord's coronation, Aang, Zuko, Kal El, Sokka, Iroh, Katara, Mai, Toph, Yue, and Ursa met at the Jasmine Dragon. Everyone wore Earth Kingdom clothing during the reunion, reminding them of the last time they stayed in Ba Sing Se. Iroh played the tsungi horn while Zuko served tea and Sokka painted everyone.

"Zuko, stop moving" Sokka complained. "I'm trying to capture the moment."

"That's very thoughtful of you Sokka" Katara said. Then she looked at the painting. "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"

"Those are your hair loopies" Sokka explained.

Zuko took a look at the painting. "At least you don't look like a porcupine" he said. "My hair is not that spiky."

"I look like a man" Mai commented.

"Why did you paint me firebending?" Yue asked.

"I thought it looked more exciting" Sokka said.

"My muscles aren't that big" Kal El complained.

"Well I think you all look perfect" Toph said.

Everyone laughed, but Kal El stopped immediately. The look on his face told everyone that he was hearing something important in the distance. "What is it?" Aang asked.

"Rogue firebenders threatening to blow up a building" Kal El said. "This won't take long."

Kal El stepped outside and unwrapped his green shirt, revealing the red S of his Superman costume underneath it. He shed the rest of the Earth Kingdom clothes for the blue suit and leapt into the air. With the red cape flowing in the wind he flew towards the disaster, ready to save the day.

_Cue Superman Music_

_A/N: Well that was fun._

_Anyway, this story may be over, but the verse is not. As you may have guessed I have a sequel story in mind. Specifically a Legend of Korra era sequel. Once that series reveals how Aang dies I will start writing the sequel. The Steampunk Republic City has far more possibilities for DC crossovers than the original series, since Republic City could be used as a stand-in for Metropolis. Since Korra doesn't start until sometime in 2012, it will be a while before I write the sequel._

_In the meantime I welcome other, better, writers to try their hands at Superman/Avatar. There are several other scenarios to choose from, such as Kal El being found by someone in a different nation, landing earlier or later in the timeline, having more Superman villains show up, forming the Justice League, et cetera. I wrote this story because no one else on this site was willing to do it, except for one person that never went past one chapter._

_As a final note, I would like to thank everyone that's been reading this story. Seeing the hits tally increase and new reviews helped me keep going with this story. If you haven't left a review already, this would be the time to do it._


End file.
